Does it matter which way a satellite orbits the Earth?

Yes it does. For manmade satellites launched from the Earth's surface, it takes more energy ( thrust) to launch the satellite against the direction the Earth is rotating ( towards the west) than launching it in the direction it is rotating ( towards the east). Other than that, satellites and planets could in principle orbit any direction they wanted.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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