orbital decay
Gradual altitude loss
Orbital decay is the gradual decrease in altitude of an object orbiting a planet or other body, typically caused by atmospheric drag or gravitational effects.
As a satellite loses altitude, it eventually reenters the atmosphere and burns up or crashes: The space station's orbital decay accelerated as it dipped into thicker air.
The term appears in discussions of spacecraft lifespan and space debris management.
- atmospheric dragFriction from surrounding gases
- upper atmosphereAir layer farthest up
- space debrisArtificial objects orbiting Earth
- space junkDefunct objects orbiting Earth
- MirRussian space station
inclination · deorbit · satellite · trajectory · Skylab · eccentricity · tidal forces · re-entry · burning up · spacecraft · apogee · perigee · spiraling · altitude · tumbling · falling · fragmentation · disintegration