Astronomy & Space
Intermediate

Orbital Velocity

Speed of a circular orbit.

Formula

v=GMrv = \sqrt{\frac{GM}{r}}

Variables

GGravitational constant
MCentral mass
rOrbit radius

Example

A satellite in low Earth orbit travels at about 7.8 km/s.

Did You Know?

The ISS orbits at nearly 28,000 km/h — fast enough to circle the whole Earth every 90 minutes.

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