Passage V

The orbital energy of a satellite depends on the central body (moon or planet) around which the satellite revolves, the altitude of the satellite’s orbit, and the satellite’s mass. Table 1 lists these characteristics for each of 12 different satellites.

A satellite’s orbital period is the time required for a satellite to complete 1 revolution around its central body. Figure 1 shows a satellite’s orbital period as a function of altitude above the Moon, Mars, and Earth.