The factor that is not needed when calculating the velocity of a satellite orbiting a planet is the mass of the satellite (option A).
The velocity of a satellite orbiting a planet is given by:
[tex] v = \sqrt{\frac{G*m_{p}}{r}} [/tex] (1)
Where:
v: is the velocity of the satellite
G: is the universal gravitational constant
r: is the orbital radius of the satellite
[tex]m_{p}[/tex]: is the mass of the planet
From all the given options in the statement, we can see that the velocity in equation (1) does depend on the orbital radius of the satellite (option B), the mass of the planet (option C), and on the universal gravitational constant (option D) but does not depend on the mass of the satellite (option A).
Therefore, the mass of the satellite is not needed when calculating the velocity of a satellite orbiting a planet. The correct option is A.
Find more about the velocity of a satellite here:
I hope it helps you!
