Since the launch of Sputnik on 4 October 1957, more than 4,200 launches have placed some 5500 satellites into orbit. Currently about 700 satellites are used operationally for science and other applications. Space debris comprise the ever-increasing amount of inactive space hardware in orbit around the Earth as well as fragments of spacecraft that have broken up, exploded or otherwise become abandoned.
Earth's gravity and centrifugal force act on geostationary satellites
Credits:
ESA
ID number:
SEM5AOK26DF
HI-RES JPG size:
1331 kb
HI-RES TIFF size:
3985 kb
Description
Like in any other orbit, the satellite is in an equilibrium between the Earth's gravity - indicated here with a blue arrow - and centrifugal force [due to its velocity], shown in green. Additionally some smaller perturbing forces act on geostationary satellites.
