Exams › JEE Main › Physics

Two identical geostationary satellites travel in the same orbit with the same speed, but they revolve in opposite directions so that they are headed toward each other. After they break up, the fragments will

1. fall toward Earth
2. rise to a higher orbit
3. start moving east to west in that same orbit
4. start moving west to east in that same orbit

Correct answer: fall toward Earth

Solution

The two satellites have equal masses and equal-but-opposite velocities, so after the head-on collision the wreckage has nearly zero velocity. Without orbital speed gravity is no longer balanced, so the fragments fall toward Earth.

Related JEE Main Physics questions

• A satellite of mass m moves in a circular orbit around the Earth at an altitude x above the Earth's surface. If g denotes the acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface, then the satellite's orbital speed is
• A particle is launched vertically upward from Earth’s surface with speed equal to three-fourths of the escape speed. The maximum distance of the particle from the Earth’s center is (take Earth’s radius as R):
• If Earth’s radius became 1% smaller while its mass stayed unchanged, what would happen to the acceleration due to gravity at the surface?
• The Moon takes about 29 days to complete one revolution around the Earth. If the Moon’s mass were doubled while every other factor stayed the same, its orbital period would be approximately
• Let the Earth have mean radius R, angular velocity ω about its own axis, and surface gravitational acceleration g. The orbital radius of a geostationary satellite is:
• Assume the Earth is a uniform sphere. Scientist A descends into a mine, while scientist B rises in a balloon. As they move, the gravitational field experienced by A keeps decreasing and the field experienced by B also keeps decreasing. Which statement best describes their rates of decrease?

⚔️ Practice JEE Main Physics free + battle 1v1 →