An orbital period is how long a satellite takes to complete one full lap. It's not adjustable — it's locked to the altitude. Higher orbits are slower. This single relationship explains an enormous amount about how space works.
An orbital period is how long a satellite takes to complete one full lap. It's not adjustable — it's locked to the altitude. Higher orbits are slower. This single relationship explains an enormous amount about how space works.
Kepler's Third Law tells us that orbital period increases with altitude. There's no throttle — a satellite at a given altitude must travel at a specific speed, and that determines the period.
The relationship isn't linear — it follows a power law (period² ∝ semi-major-axis³). Small altitude changes in LEO barely affect the period. The same absolute change at higher altitudes matters much more.
Here's what catches everyone: to reach a higher orbit you speed up — but end up going slower. A burn adds energy, which raises the orbit. But at that higher altitude, the stable orbital speed is lower.
Satellites can speed up or slow down freely
Speed is dictated by altitude. To change speed you must change orbit — which costs fuel and changes your altitude.
The ISS has engines running constantly to stay in orbit
The ISS free-falls around Earth like every other satellite. Its periodic boosts fight atmospheric drag, not gravity.
This locked relationship is why geostationary orbit exists at exactly one altitude, why LEO satellites lap Earth every 90 minutes, and why 'speeding up' in orbit is the opposite of what you'd expect.