Answer to Question #103350 in Mechanics | Relativity for Ayesha Shahid

Question

The gravitational force acting on the satellite is always directed towards the centre of Earth does this force exerts torque on the satellite?

Answer 1

Since the gravitational force is always directed radially through the center of mass, the gravitational force can exert no torque on either body. Thus angular momentum is conserved. This means that the angular momentum of the orbiting object will always have the same value at any point in its orbit.