Question

What is the time period of revolution of the polar satellite of Earth?

Answer 1

- Hint: Time period of the revolution is the time taken by the satellite to complete one revolution around the earth on its assigned orbit. Also, the time taken to complete this revolution is called the orbital period for the satellite of the earth.

Complete step-by-step solution -
 For the polar satellite of the earth the period of revolution or orbital period is approximately $100$ minutes.
Sometimes it is said that the polar satellite takes one and a half hours to complete the one revolution in its orbit.
To get this much time for one revolution by the polar satellite the prescribed altitude is kept in between $700$ km to $800$ km.
A polar satellite travels a path which is north to south over the poles.
As there is a fixed assigned orbit and the earth is spinning under it , that’s why a polar satellite can observe the whole surface of the earth, and to do so it takes the satellite to travel for $24$hours.

Note: Main advantage of the polar satellite of the earth is its distance from the earth. Polar satellites are much closer to the earth than the other types of the satellites, and it is also covering the poles properly, that’s why a polar satellite can give a wide and proper view of the poles of the earth. The photos taken by the polar satellites are clearer and more detailed as compared to the other types of satellite.
Disadvantage of this satellite is that it cannot view the whole earth’s surface at any one time, it can only take six to seven images a day because most of the time it is below the earth horizon.