Why Satellites Don’t Fall Out of the Sky

Gravity Still Pulls – Satellites are always being pulled toward Earth by gravity.
Forward Speed Saves Them – They move forward so fast that as they fall, Earth curves away beneath them.
Orbit Explained – An orbit is just continuous free fall, balanced by forward motion.
The Right Speed – Too slow, and a satellite falls back to Earth; too fast, and it escapes into space.
No Air Resistance – High above the atmosphere, there’s almost no drag to slow satellites down.
Newton’s Cannonball – Newton imagined firing a cannon so fast the cannonball would circle Earth—just like satellites do.
Geostationary Trick – Some satellites move at Earth’s rotation speed, appearing fixed over one spot.
Low-Earth Orbit – Satellites closer to Earth, like the ISS, orbit quickly—about once every 90 minutes.
Gravity’s Partner – Satellites stay up not because gravity is absent, but because motion and gravity work together.
Cosmic Balance – From GPS to weather monitoring, satellites prove how motion and gravity can keep objects aloft indefinitely.