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Satellite Altitude from Period Calculator

Required altitude for a circular orbit of period T.

Compute the altitude above a planet's surface required for a circular orbit with a target period (e.g. geostationary at 86 164 s) using Kepler's third law solved for the semi-major axis.

Dr. Helena Ortiz By Dr. Helena Ortiz
Published Last reviewed 1 min read

Inputs

s

Results

Enter values and click Calculate to see results.
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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

a = (G · M · T² / (4π²))^(1/3); altitude = a − R_body.

In depth

Compute the altitude above a planet's surface required for a circular orbit with a target period (e.g. geostationary at 86 164 s) using Kepler's third law solved for the semi-major axis.