GE 501_SATELLITE GEODESY

PROBLEM SET WITH ANSWERS

PROBLEM 1.1
Calculate the velocity of an artificial satellite orbiting the earth in a circular orbitat an altitude of 150
miles above the earth's surface.
v = 25,470 ft/s

PROBLEM 1.2
Calculate the period of revolution for the satellite in problem 1.1.
P = 5,350 s

PROBLEM 1.3
Calculate the radius of orbit (in SI units) for a earth satellite in a geosynchronous orbit,
where the earth's rotational period is 86,164 seconds.
r = 42,164,000 m

PROBLEM 1.4
An artificial earth satellite is in an elliptical orbit which brings it to an altitude of
250 km at perigee and out to an altitude of 500 km at apogee. Calculate the velocity of
the satellite at both perigee and apogee.
Vp = 7,828 m/s
Va = 7,544 m/s

PROBLEM 1.5
A satellite in earth orbit passes through its perigee point at an altitude of 200 km
above the earth's surface and at a velocity of 7,850 m/s. Calculate the apogee altitude
of the satellite.
Ra = 6,795,000 m
Altitude @ apogee = 6,795,000 / 1,000 - 6,375 = 420 km

PROBLEM 1.6
Calculate the eccentricity of the orbit for the satellite in problem 1.5.
e = 0.0165

PROBLEM 1.7
A satellite in earth orbit has a semi-major axis of 6,700 km and an eccentricity of 0.01.
Calculate the satellite's altitude at both perigee and apogee.

Altitude @ perigee = 6,633 - 6,375 = 258 km

Altitude @ apogee = 6,767 - 6,375 = 392 km

PROBLEM 1.8
Calculate the escape velocity of a spacecraft launched from the surface of the earth.
Likewise, calculate the escape velocity from the surface of the moon where the mass of the moon is
0.0123 times the mass of the earth and the moon's radius is 2,160 miles.
Part 1,
VESC = 36,700 ft/s

Part 2,
VESC = 5,510 ft/s

PROBLEM 1.9
Calculate the speed of a satellite in GEO (geosynchronous equatorial orbit around Earth), which is
circular with a radius of 42164 km.
3.075 km/s
PROBLEM 1.10
Two satellites have been launched into two different orbits around Earth. Satellite #1 is in a circular
orbit with altitude 2000 km; satellite #2 is in a circular orbit that is 100 km higher than satellite #1.
Comparing the two orbits, how much longer does it take sat. #2 to make one complete trip around
its orbit?
136 seconds longer

PROBLEM 1.11
A scientific satellite is moving on an Earth orbit with perigee altitude of 400 km and apogee altitude
of 15000 km.
a. Calculate the eccentricity of this orbit. 0.519
b. Calculate the period of this orbit. 16,623.6. seconds

PROBLEM 1.12
Calculate the force of gravity acting on an object with mass of 400 kg when it is orbiting Earth at an
altitude of 600 km.
3,273.2 N