How fast does a polar orbit satellite travel around the earth?
Satellites in low orbit are just hundreds of miles away. These satellites travel at high speeds keeping gravity from pulling them back to Earth. Low Orbit Satellites travel approximately 17,000 miles per hour and circle the Earth in an hour and a half. In a polar orbit, a satellite orbits the earth from pole to pole. It covers different parts of the earth as the earth turns beneath it. This orbit is used for observing the weather and mapping earth resources. Most communications satellites are put into a geosynchronous orbit. This kind of orbit positions a satellite over the equator; the satellite orbits the earth at the same speed as the earth is turning, giving the satellite the appearance of being stationary.
