If there are many satellites orbiting earth, how do space launches not bump into any of them?
In: 2066
The opposite happens too: Launching to rendezvous with another craft is difficult. You might hear of instantaneous launch windows. Once something is in orbit its motion is no longer relative to the ground. So the launch needs to happen when the target object’s orbital plane intersects the launch site. The launch then needs to proceed into the same plane, and then enter an orbit that will intersect the other, then completely match orbits. Adjusting orbits costs delta V, which effectively means fuel.
So even launching randomly, to intersect the orbit *and* be there where the other thing is there, is not likely.
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