How satellite works?

A satellite is basically any object that revolves around a planet in a circular or elliptical path. The moon is Earth’s original, natural satellite, and there are many manmade (artificial) satellites, usually closer to Earth.

The path a satellite follows is an orbit. In the orbit, the farthest point from Earth is the apogee, and the nearest point is the perigee.

Approximately 23,000 items of space junk — objects large enough to track with radar that were inadvertently placed in orbit or have outlived their usefulness — are floating above Earth. The actual number varies depending on which agency is counting.

Whose Satellite Was the First to Orbit Earth?

The Soviet Sputnik satellite was the first to orbit Earth, launched on October 4, 1957.

How is a Satellite Launched into an Orbit?

All satellites today get into orbit by riding on a rocket or by riding in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Several countries and businesses have rocket launch capabilities, and satellites as large as several tons make it safely into orbit on a regular basis.

For most satellite launches, the scheduled launch rocket is aimed straight up at first. This gets the rocket through the thickest part of the atmosphere most quickly and best minimizes fuel consumption.

After a rocket launches straight up, the rocket control mechanism uses the inertial guidance system to calculate necessary adjustments to the rocket’s nozzles to tilt the rocket to the course described in the flight plan. In most cases, the flight plan calls for the rocket to head east because Earth rotates to the east, giving the launch vehicle a free boost. The strength of this boost depends on the rotational velocity of Earth at the launch location. The boost is greatest at the equator, where the distance around Earth is greatest and so rotation is fastest

How to make balance between gravity’s pull on the satellite?

Orbital velocity is the velocity needed to achieve balance between gravity’s pull on the satellite and the inertia of the satellite’s motion — the satellite’s tendency to keep going. This is approximately 17,000 mph (27,359 kph) at an altitude of 150 miles (242 km). Without gravity, the satellite’s inertia would carry it off into space.

On the other hand, if the satellite goes too slowly, gravity will pull it back to Earth. At the correct orbital velocity, gravity exactly balances the satellite’s inertia, pulling down toward Earth’s center just enough to keep the path of the satellite curving like Earth’s curved surface, rather than flying off in a straight line.

The orbital velocity of the satellite depends on its altitude above Earth.

• To get a better feel for orbital velocities at different altitudes, check out NASA’s orbital velocity calculator.
• To learn more about orbits and other topics in space flight, check out JPL’s Basics of Space Flight Learners’ Workbook.

What is Inside a Typical Satellite?