Which factor is not needed when calculating the velocity of a satellite orbiting a planet?(1 point)

Question

Responses

the mass of the planet
the mass of the planet

the universal gravitational constant
the universal gravitational constant

the orbital radius of the satellite
the orbital radius of the satellite

the mass of the satellite

Answer 1

The factor that is not needed when calculating the velocity of a satellite orbiting a planet is the mass of the satellite.

When calculating orbital velocity, the formula used is:

$$v=\sqrt{\frac{GM}{r}}$$

where $v$ is the orbital velocity, $G$ is the universal gravitational constant, $M$ is the mass of the planet, and $r$ is the orbital radius (distance from the center of the planet to the satellite). The mass of the satellite does not appear in this equation, as it cancels out in the derivation of the orbital velocity.