basic

Minimum Circular Orbital Speed from Planet Mass and Orbit Radius Calculator

v = √(GM / r).

Compute the circular orbital speed required for a satellite at radius r around a body of mass M: v = √(GM/r), with G = 6.674×10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg². Also reports the orbital period T = 2πr/v and altitude above Earth's surface when Earth's radius (6 371 km) is subtracted.

Nadia Almasri By Nadia Almasri
Published Last reviewed 1 min read

Inputs

kg
m

Results

Enter values and click Calculate to see results.
Was this helpful?

How to use this calculator

  1. Fill in the inputs above using the units you already have.
  2. Values update automatically as you type — no submit button needed.
  3. Hover any result row for the underlying formula and intermediate values.

Formula

v = √(GM/r); T = 2πr/v.

In depth

Compute the circular orbital speed required for a satellite at radius r around a body of mass M: v = √(GM/r), with G = 6.674×10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg². Also reports the orbital period T = 2πr/v and altitude above Earth's surface when Earth's radius (6 371 km) is subtracted.