A weather satellite of mass is to be placed in a geostationary orbit around the Earth.
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences
Problem
A weather satellite of mass 800kg is to be placed in a geostationary orbit around the Earth.
(i) Obtain an expression for the total mechanical energy E of a satellite of mass m in a circular orbit of radius r about the Earth.
(ii) Using the orbital radius found in Question 1, calculate the mechanical energy of the satellite when in the geostationary orbit.
(iii) Assuming the satellite is initially at rest on the Earth’s surface, determine the additional energy that must be supplied (neglecting energy losses and the Earth’s rotation) to place it in this orbit.