Why does a satellite in a circular orbit travel at a constant speed? why does a satellite in a circular orbit travel at a constant speed? a. the gravitational force acting on the satellite is balanced by the centrifugal force acting on the satellite. b. there is a force acting opposite to the direction of the motion of the satellite. c. there is no component of force acting along the direction of motion of the satellite. d. the net force acting on the satellite is zero.

The correct answer is c. There is no component of force acting along the direction of motion of the satellite.

Explanation:

When a moving object is traveling in a circular orbit at a constant speed we assume it has a changing velocity, this is mainly because velocity is a vector quantity that rely on the speed the object is moving and direction, because of the variation of acceleration throughout the whole orbit and the lack of other force acting along the direction of motion of the satellite allows the object to travel at a constant speed, but variable acceleration.