Atmospheric Drag Calculator

Calculate atmospheric drag force, orbital decay rate, and estimated remaining orbital lifetime for satellites.

Orbital Altitude

Drag Coefficient

Cross-Section Area

sq ft

Satellite Mass

Tab to move between fields

Drag Force

0 N

Estimated Remaining Lifetime

2,478,503,772.76 years

Atmospheric Density0 kg/m³

Orbital Decay Rate0 m/day

How to Use This Calculator

Enter orbital altitude (km) and the spacecraft's drag coefficient (typically 2.0–2.5 for LEO).
Set the effective cross-section area (m²) facing the velocity vector and spacecraft mass (kg).
Review atmospheric density at the entered altitude, drag force (N), and orbital decay rate (km/orbit).
Use the remaining lifetime estimate to plan deorbit maneuvers or station-keeping budgets.

How the result changes with Orbital Altitude

Orbital Altitude	Drag Force	Estimated Remaining Lifetime
335	0 N	995,849.21 years
798	0 N	1,039,752,678,481,802,600,000,000,000,000 years
1,353	0 N	38,628,523,247,161,634,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years
1,815	0 N	20,279,377,930,267,190,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years

Orbital Altitude: Altitude above Earth's surface. Atmospheric drag is significant below ~800 km.
Drag Coefficient: Aerodynamic drag coefficient in free molecular flow. Typical satellite value is 2.0–2.5.
Cross-Section Area: Effective cross-sectional area of the satellite facing the velocity direction.
Satellite Mass: Total mass of the satellite. Higher mass means slower orbital decay for the same drag area.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Orbital Altitude = 400, Drag Coefficient = 2.2, Cross-Section Area = 10, Satellite Mass = 1000 = 4 input(s) provided
Calculate Drag Force
Drag Force = parseFloat(dragForce.toExponential(3))
2.898e-12 = 2.898e-12
Calculate Estimated Remaining Lifetime
Estimated Remaining Lifetime
2478503772.76 = 2478503772.76
Calculate Atmospheric Density
Atmospheric Density = parseFloat(atmosphericDensity.toExponential(3))
4.475e-21 = 4.475e-21
Calculate Orbital Decay Rate
Orbital Decay Rate = Math
0 = 0