Orbital Mechanics Simulator
Launch a satellite and explore how speed, distance and gravity shape its path.
Why does the path change?
A sideways launch can keep missing the planet as gravity continually bends the flight path. At the circular speed the distance stays nearly constant; slower launches form an ellipse or hit the surface, while sufficiently fast ones escape. An outward or inward push changes the closest approach.
This is an ideal two-body model with a fixed central body. It ignores atmosphere, other bodies and the satellite's own gravity; it is not a real mission planner.
About orbital mechanics
Orbital mechanics studies the paths of bodies under gravity. A moon, planet or artificial satellite is always falling toward another body, but enough sideways motion can keep it from reaching the surface. This idea connects everyday falling objects with the movement of the sky.
Johannes Kepler described planetary paths as ellipses, and Isaac Newton later explained why those paths arise from gravity and motion. A circular orbit is a special case; an elongated orbit varies in both distance and speed. The closest and farthest points have their own names, periapsis and apoapsis.
Understanding orbits helps explain satellites, space exploration and the motions of moons and planets. A launch needs both a suitable position and velocity: changing either can turn a stable orbit into a collision or an escape. Simple models make these relationships easier to see before considering the many complications of real spaceflight.