ORBITLAB / AROUND EARTH
Altitude changes. Dynamics change.
Explore the relationship between altitude, speed and orbital period in a circular two-body orbit model. This is not live satellite tracking.
MODEL SETTINGS
Inclination changes the visual plane. In this ideal model, speed and period at the same radius do not depend on inclination.
v = √(μ / r)
T = 2π √(r³ / μ)
T = 2π √(r³ / μ)
r is measured from Earth’s centre. The model uses μ = 398,600.4418 km³/s² and an equatorial radius of 6,378.137 km.
ESA · Types of orbit
SPACETRC / EARTH EXPLORATIONExplore orbits around Earth in three dimensions.
Touch · rotate · zoom
Open the 2D reference diagram
7,67km/s · orbital speed
92,56minutes · period
1,33ms · radial light travel time from the surface
Atmosphere, Earth’s oblateness, other celestial bodies and ground-station geometry are excluded. Light travel time is not communications or network latency.