Parabolic Trajectory - Velocity

Velocity

Under standard assumptions the orbital velocity of a body travelling along parabolic trajectory can be computed as:

where:

• is the radial distance of orbiting body from central body,
• is the standard gravitational parameter.

At any position the orbiting body has the escape velocity for that position.

If the body has the escape velocity with respect to the Earth, this is not enough to escape the Solar System, so near the Earth the orbit resembles a parabola, but further away it bends into an elliptical orbit around the Sun.

This velocity is closely related to the orbital velocity of a body in a circular orbit of the radius equal to the radial position of orbiting body on the parabolic trajectory:

where:

• is orbital velocity of a body in circular orbit.