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A satellite with mass 6000 kg is orbiting the planet at 2500 km above the planet's

surface. The gravitational force between them is 30 kN.
Calculate the mass of the planet.
(Radius of the planet = 5000 km)

1 Answer

4 votes

By the law of universal gravitation, the gravitational force F between the satellite (mass m) and planet (mass M) is

F = G M m / R ²

where

• G = 6.67 × 10⁻¹¹ m³/(kg•s²) is the universal gravitation constant

R = 2500 km + 5000 km = 7500 km is the distance between the satellite and the center of the planet

Solve for M :

M = F R ² / (G m)

M = ((3 × 10⁴ N) (75 × 10⁵ m)²) / (G (6 × 10³ kg))

M ≈ 2.8 × 10¹⁴ kg

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