Whats the difference between suborbital and orbital flights?
Suborbital flights typically consist of achieving the appropriate altitude (100 kilometers or about 62 miles) but not having enough energy to reach orbital velocity, meaning you travel out of the atmosphere and return before completing a revolution around the earth. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or orbital flight is obtaining an altitude between 100 and 1240 miles above the earth’s surface and traveling at a speed of 17,500 mph. Once a vehicle reaches this speed and altitude, it enters orbit, and it will continue to fly around the earth until the vehicle is slowed down for reentry.
