How Long Will Space Junk Take to Burn Up? Here’s a Handy Chart - Universe Today

And if the dinosaurs had launched a satellite into the furthest geostationary orbit – 36,000 km (23,000 miles) or higher — it might still be up there today.

While we’ve *really* only launched satellites since 1957, those examples show how long objects can stay in orbit.

With the growing problem of accumulating space junk in Earth orbit, many experts have stressed for years that satellite operators must figure out how to responsibly dispose of derelict satellites at the end of their lives.

A satellite can remain in the same orbit for a long period of time as the gravitational pull of the Earth provides a balance to the centrifugal force satellites experience in orbit.

For satellites in orbit outside the atmosphere, there is no air resistance, and therefore, according to the law of inertia, the speed of the satellite is constant resulting in a stable orbit around the Earth for many years.