satellites orbit Earth at an altitude of 22,236 miles and rotate at the same rate as the planet locked to its equator. Low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, on the other hand
These satellites have a bit more freedom in the path they take around the plane
One of the key aspects of placing a satellite into space is knowing it will stay there in orbit around the planet
The National Environment Satellite Data and Information Service (NOAA) satellite stays in orbit by achieving a perfect balance between velocity and the gravitational pull that our planet
LEO satellites orbit at a speed of around 7.8 km per second — taking about 90 minutes to fully circle Earth.
The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome at Tyuratam, Kazakhstan
which was at the time part of the Soviet Union — on October 4, 1957.