Achieving this speed ensures that as the spacecraft falls toward Earth due to gravity, the planet’s surface curves away at the same rate, resulting in continuous freefall around the planet rather than a direct descent. Below 160 kilometers, atmospheric drag becomes so significant that a spacecraft would require prohibitively large amounts of fuel to maintain orbit, effectively making it a suborbital trajectory rather than a sustained orbit.
Atmospheric Drag Effects in Low Earth Orbit Below 160 Kilometers
6 degrees, which allows the ground track to pass over populated areas of the Northern Hemisphere. 8 kilometers per second (about 17,500 miles per hour) at the altitudes most commonly used for human spaceflight.
The Role of Inclination In addition to altitude, the orbital inclination—the angle between the orbital plane and Earth’s equator—defines the specific characteristics of a low Earth orbit. Orbital Mechanics and Velocity To maintain a stable low Earth orbit, a spacecraft must achieve a specific horizontal velocity that creates a balance between its forward momentum and the downward pull of gravity.
Atmospheric Drag Effects in Low Earth Orbit Below 160 km
Low Earth orbit represents the closest region of space to Earth's surface, serving as the operational domain for the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and thousands of active satellites. Furthermore, the relatively accessible orbit requires less energy to reach, reducing launch costs and enabling the deployment of large satellite constellations for global internet coverage.
More About What is considered low earth orbit
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