Skip to content
ENExplore Calculators

Satellite Orbit Altitude Calculator

Work out satellite orbit altitude instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Satellite Orbit Altitude Calculator

Inverting Kepler's third law gives orbital radius from period: a = cbrt(mu T^2 / 4 pi^2). A 96 minute orbit sits at 6924 km radius, about 553 km altitude, travelling 7.59 km/s and completing 15 revolutions a day - typical of Earth observation satellites in sun-synchronous low orbit.

Formulas

Orbital radius from period

a = cbrt(mu T^2 / (4 pi^2)), mu = GM

Orbital velocity

v = sqrt(mu / a)

Worked example

With the default values below, Satellite Orbit Altitude Calculator returns Orbital Altitude Above The Surface of 574.0. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Orbital periodminimum 0 min
96 min
Central body massminimum 0 kg
5,972,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

Results

Orbital Altitude Above The Surface
574.0 km
Orbital Radius From The Centre
6,945.0 km
Orbital Velocity
7.576 km/s
Revolutions Per Day
15.000

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Orbital radius from period
  3. 3Orbital velocity
  4. 4Orbital Altitude Above The Surface= 574.0 km
  5. 5Orbital Radius From The Centre= 6,945.0 km
  6. 6Orbital Velocity= 7.576 km/s
  7. 7Revolutions Per Day= 15.000

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or fees or charges into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 90 minutes about the minimum period?

Because a lower orbit would be inside the atmosphere. The shortest sustainable period around Earth is roughly 88 minutes at the surface.

Do satellites in the same orbit travel at the same speed?

Yes - orbital velocity depends only on radius, not mass, so a bolt and a space station at the same altitude keep pace.

Related Calculators

Satellite Orbit Altitude Calculator | Calcrivo