Question

Which of the following statements about the motion of planetary satellites is true?
-A.Planetary satellites always orbit their planet in the opposite direction of their planet's rotation.
-B.Some planetary satellites have been known to orbit around other satellites.
-C.Planetary satellites never orbit their planet in the opposite direction of their planet's rotation.
-D.Planetary satellites can orbit their planet in the same direction as the planet's rotation, or in the opposite direction.

Answer 1

I believe D is the answer because satellites can travel in either direction The main reason most satellites orbit in a common direction is because it requires a lot of energy to get to orbital speed. Everything starting from the Earth already has a velocity provided by the Earth's rotation, so to save fuel and engine costs, we align the orbit so that initial velocity at launch is a useful component of the final velocity.