Can we put a satellite around the Moon?

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit.

Why do geostationary satellites have to be above the equator?

Originally Answered: Why is the geostationary orbit necessarily above the equator? Because satellites orbit the center of mass of the planet which is in the center of the planet, more or less. So to orbit the Earth and stay above one place they need to orbit the equator.

How come satellites stay around the planet Earth and don’t just fly off in to space?

The Short Answer: Even when satellites are thousands of miles away, Earth’s gravity still tugs on them. Gravity–combined with the satellite’s momentum from its launch into space–cause the satellite go into orbit above Earth, instead of falling back down to the ground.

Can a satellite be stationary?

All geostationary satellites are geosynchronous. The “stationary” part of geostationary describes how a satellite in this orbit remains fixed with respect to an observer on the ground. This is an ideal orbit for communications satellites, since ground-based antennas can remain pointed at the same spot in the sky.

How many satellites are circling the Moon?

Originally Answered: Are there any satellite orbiting the moon? Currently there is only 1. The other one, which is at the Earth-Moon Lagrange 2 point, is this.

Is the LRO still orbiting the Moon?

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was the first U.S. mission to the Moon in over 10 years. LRO’s primary goal was to make a 3D map of the Moon’s surface from lunar polar orbit. LRO continues to orbit the Moon.

Why are all geostationary satellites in the same orbit of Earth?

Communications satellites are often placed in a geostationary orbit so that Earth-based satellite antennas (located on Earth) do not have to rotate to track them but can be pointed permanently at the position in the sky where the satellites are located.

Are satellites moving or stationary?

While some satellites whiz around the world in 90 minutes, others don’t seem to move at all. Weather and TV satellites seem to hover above the equator. These satellites are in geostationary orbits.

What does GTO stand for in space?

To attain geosynchronous (and also geostationary) Earth orbits, a spacecraft is first launched into an elliptical orbit with an apoapsis altitude in the neighborhood of 37,000 km. This is called a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Why doesn’t NASA have a permanent satellite array in lunar orbit?

There have been several probes and satellites sent to the moon, more recently the LRO has photographed and mapped the lunar surface in high definition. There are a couple of reasons why they don’t have a permanent satellite array in lunar orbit, chief among them being cost.

Which countries are sending satellites to the Moon?

Soon the space around the moon will be busy too. China, Japan, India, Russia, and the US either have sent or plan to send satellites there for a bird’s-eye view of lunar features and resources. Why is the moon such a draw?

How can we put something into orbit around the Moon?

Putting something into orbit around the moon is not an easy task, first you need to get the thing into orbit which is expensive as it is. Not only that but you have to send the fuel it will use to transfer to a lunar orbit, and to circularize its final orbit as well as performing its essential orbital maintenance for the life of the mission.

What spacecrafts orbit the Moon Right Now?

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: Polar mapping orbit, mission by NASA. ARTEMIS (two spacecraft): “Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun”. ARTEMIS P1 and P2 orbit the Moon right now.