... At an altitude of 200 kilometers (120 miles), a satellite zips by at 28,000 kilometers per hour, completing one orbit every 90 minutes. ... If the rocket engines force the satellite to go faster or slower than this velocity, the satellite goes into an elliptical orbit. A satellite in an elliptical orbit keeps changing its distance from Earth (see diagram ). ... At its farthest point from Earth (apogee), the satellite stops moving away from Earth and starts moving downward. ...