Remember that the total energy of a satellite in a bound orbit is negative.
Recall that: | ![]() |
or | ![]() |
Since: | ![]() |
and | ![]() |
We can see that: | ![]() |
So: | ![]() |
A satellite in low orbit might have, for example, -100 MJ of energy, whereas a satellite in higher orbit might have -50 MJ of energy.
A satellite in a higher circular orbit experiences less centripetal force, so can go more slowly than a satellite in a lower orbit.