Time period of a Satellite

Time period of a Satellite

Time taken by the satellite to complete one revolution round the Earth is called time period.

Time period, T =  Distance covered / Orbital velocity .

T = 2Ï€r/v

Example

At an orbital height of 500 km, find the orbital period of the satellite.

Solution

h = 500x10³m,

R = 6371x10³m,

v = 7616x10³ kms^-1.

Substituting the values,

T = 2Ï€(R + h)/v = 2 × [22/7]  × [(6371+ 500) / 7616]

= 5.6677x10³s = 5667 s.

This is T ≈ 95 min