Calculate (Geo-)Stationary Orbit

Calculator for the geostationary orbit around the earth or the stationary orbit around another celestial body. The height of the orbit results from the mass and day length (period of rotation) of the planet or celestial body and its radius. Please enter these three values or select one of the given planets to calculate the height of the circular stationary orbit.

The formula for the calculation is: h = ³√ G * m * T² / ( 4 * π² ) - r

h is the orbit height in meters, G is the gravitational constant, m is the mass of the celestial body in kilograms, T is the period of rotation in seconds and r is the radius of the celestial body in meters.

Example: the geostationary orbit, i.e. that of the earth, is about 35800 kilometers above the earth’s surface and 42164 kilometers above the center of the earth (radius=0). Venus's stationary orbit, on the other hand, is over a million and a half kilometers out because of its very slow rotation.