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If a satellite is equipped with a propulsion system which is enough for compensating the local drag and maintaining the orbit, then aerodynamic heating would be the limiting factor for attaining the lowest possible altitude.

How can one calculate or at least estimate the limiting altitude for a given satellite? What major parameters or aspects of the satellite are required?

uhoh
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Curious
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  • +1 I've adjusted your question so that it's not closed for "needs detail or clarity". People will comment "It depends on the specific satellite" etc. I also adjusted your title to match the body of your question. While people can't give you an exact altitude until you give them an exact satellite (and then they still won't do it) written this way an answer can explain how this might be calculated and what factors you'll need to know. You can then ask a follow-up question. You are welcome to edit further or roll back. Welcome to Space! – uhoh Mar 10 '20 at 15:37
  • Are you sure atmospheric heating would be the limiting factor? Why?
  • – Dragongeek Mar 10 '20 at 16:05
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  • What you're describing sounds less like a satellite and more like an aircraft or cruise missile. What exactly do you mean by satellite?
  • – Dragongeek Mar 10 '20 at 16:06
  • @Dragongeek since the satellite is literally in orbit and LEO/VEO is specified in the tags, and the question is "how low" suggesting it starts in orbit higher, then it really does not sound like an aircraft. – uhoh Mar 10 '20 at 16:13
  • Ermm... Are we back to "What would a Karman plane look like?" –  Mar 10 '20 at 16:32
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    The limiting factor is likely to be the propulsion system (and that's before you consider one can often dump heat into your propellant). ESA'a GOCE might be of interest –  Mar 10 '20 at 16:39
  • but as a very rough guide, if you calculate the horsepower of the engines you need to maintain orbit then that'll give, very roughly, the BTU/s you'll have to dissipate. –  Mar 10 '20 at 16:51
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    It sounds like the answer should be simple. Just find instantaneous drag acceleration and compute for required thrust. Altitude should be in that equation somewhere, so just evaluate for it. But, it's probably not that simple... – BMF Mar 10 '20 at 19:15
  • @BMFForMonica I took a stab at it with some liberal application of assumptions and approximations. – uhoh Mar 11 '20 at 02:09
  • UHOH's answer is very cool. But suppose you have a Zero-Point Module and thus infinite power available. Then what's the thrust required to maintain orbital speed at, e.g., 15 km altitude? (chosen so you won't hit any mountains). Seems to me that's the question being asked here. Or heck, do it for 1km along some orbital path that avoids mountain ranges (not technically possible, I fear). – Carl Witthoft Mar 11 '20 at 14:22
  • @CarlWitthoft that's mostly what my comment tried to describe. Orbital velocity at a given altitude can be known, so the problem is to solve for instantaneous drag acceleration at given altitude and then, with "spacecraft" mass, required thrust. – BMF Mar 11 '20 at 18:04
  • Atmospheric drag, decay, solar radiation is still very variable and we still don't have a deterministic time varying model (and we probably never will). Thus, there probably isn't a limit, but maybe you can checkout the Kármán line as a rough guide, as anything below it tends to have drag forces that prohibits most spaceflight with electric or ionic thrusters. – Samuel Low Mar 12 '20 at 02:16
  • Discussion for this question describes on an altitude vs speed graph a "hypersonic breathing corridor" bounded above by airbreather limit and below by dynamic pressure limit. The dynamic pressure I understand, it would give rise to airframe stress. I don't know what the airbreather limit is. https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/44837/what-is-the-highest-operational-ceiling-for-an-air-breathing-jet-engine – DrBunny Mar 23 '21 at 22:13