Satellites typically travel at thousands of miles (or kilometers) per hour, with their exact speed depending mainly on how high they orbit above Earth.

How Fast Do Satellites Travel?

Quick Scoop

  • Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites (about 200–2,000 km up, like the ISS or Starlink) move at roughly 7.8 km/s , or about 28,000 km/h (≈17,500 mph) to stay in orbit.
  • Geostationary satellites (about 36,000 km above Earth) move more slowly, around 11,000 km/h (≈7,000 mph) , but because they are farther away, they match Earth’s rotation and appear fixed in the sky.
  • Rule of thumb: the lower the orbit, the faster the satellite must go to avoid falling back to Earth; the higher the orbit, the slower it travels while still staying in orbit.

Why They Go That Fast

To orbit, a satellite is in a constant “free fall” toward Earth, but its sideways speed is so high that the ground curves away at the same rate it falls. This balance between gravity pulling inward and inertia carrying it forward is what sets the needed orbital speed at each altitude. Think of it like this: if you throw a ball harder and harder, it goes farther before hitting the ground. In orbit, you’ve thrown it so fast that as it falls, Earth curves away beneath it, so it never hits the ground and just keeps circling.