Arrows show direction. Their lengths are illustrative; force and velocity use different scales.
Model assumptions & accessibility
Newtonian two-body motion; no atmospheric drag, thrust or interactions between orbiters. Satellite launch starts at the chosen altitude with an instantaneous initial velocity. The combined system uses nested orbits and an enlarged Moon orbit. Planet sizes, satellite sizes and comet tails are illustrative. Space has no preferred “up”.
Animations start paused. Use Step + to inspect motion. All controls work by keyboard. Focus view enlarges the simulation; numerical readouts describe the motion.
Earth radius: 6,371 km; gravitational parameter: 398,600.4 km³ s⁻². Solar parameter: 1.3271244 × 10¹¹ km³ s⁻². These are rounded model constants.