https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-college-physics-1/xf557a762645cccc5:energy-and-momentum-of-rotating-systems/xf557a762645cccc5:satellites-and-orbits/v/angular-momentum-of-satellites 2026-03-27T03:23:29.148657924Z Angular momentum of satellites Point objects have linear momentum. The selection of the axis about which an object is considered to rotate influences the determination of the angular momentum of that object. The measured angular momentum of an object traveling in a straight line depends on the distance between the reference point and the object, the mass of the object, the speed of the object, and the angle between the radial distance and the velocity of the object. Angular momentum is constant for a satellite in a circular or elliptical orbit. Mahesh Shenoy video https://cdn.kastatic.org/ka_thumbnails_cache/fd269a09-6433-4ba2-a1db-6f8108d6e366_1280_720_base.png Angular momentum of satellites Point objects have linear momentum. The selection of the axis about which an object is considered to rotate influences the determination of the angular momentum of that object. The measured angular momentum of an object traveling in a straight line depends on the distance between the reference point and the object, the mass of the object, the speed of the object, and the angle between the radial distance and the velocity of the object. Angular momentum is constant for a satellite in a circular or elliptical orbit. https://cdn.kastatic.org/ka-youtube-converted/inus3WE5eTI.mp4/inus3WE5eTI.mp4 931 Satellites and orbits https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-college-physics-1/xf557a762645cccc5:energy-and-momentum-of-rotating-systems/xf557a762645cccc5:satellites-and-orbits/v/energy-of-satellite-systems 2026-03-27T03:23:29.148657924Z Energy of satellite systems In circular and elliptical orbits, the satellite-central-object system’s total mechanical energy is constant. In elliptical orbits, the system’s gravitational potential energy and the satellite’s kinetic energy both change while the total remains constant. The total energy of a system consisting of a satellite orbiting a central object in a circular path can be written in terms of the gravitational potential energy of that system or the kinetic energy of the satellite. The escape velocity of a satellite is the satellite’s velocity such that the mechanical energy of the satellite-central-object system is equal to zero. Mahesh Shenoy video https://cdn.kastatic.org/googleusercontent/ZCdwTudJg6e6n-P2gsaUborP4izvMsGo71pvEVlX9dNYWcLXcP7VHkWpn2grt4TUP1KoJLQP9NswyHBuBLSFTBw Energy of satellite systems In circular and elliptical orbits, the satellite-central-object system’s total mechanical energy is constant. In elliptical orbits, the system’s gravitational potential energy and the satellite’s kinetic energy both change while the total remains constant. The total energy of a system consisting of a satellite orbiting a central object in a circular path can be written in terms of the gravitational potential energy of that system or the kinetic energy of the satellite. The escape velocity of a satellite is the satellite’s velocity such that the mechanical energy of the satellite-central-object system is equal to zero. https://cdn.kastatic.org/ka-youtube-converted/A-YeMNeq55E.mp4/A-YeMNeq55E.mp4 945 Satellites and orbits https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-college-physics-1/xf557a762645cccc5:energy-and-momentum-of-rotating-systems/xf557a762645cccc5:satellites-and-orbits/e/satellites-and-orbits 2026-04-08T21:40:43.951046596Z Satellites and orbits Check your understanding of satellites and orbits in this set of free practice questions. Emily Cizmas exercise