How Does Height Above Earth Affect Satellite Weight?

[Arooj]

Homework Statement

What is the weight of a 200 kg satellite 12.8 * 10^6 m above the surface of the Earth.

Homework Equations

F = mg

The Attempt at a Solution

F=200 (9.81)
F = 1962 N

I thought this was a basic weight problem, but I was confused on whether the height above the Earth affects the weight.

 

[Delphi51]

The gravitational force gets weaker as you go further out from the center of the Earth. The g = 9.81 value will not be accurate. You could use the basic gravitational force formula F = GMm/d² (M=mass of Earth, m = mass of satellite, d = distance from center of Earth to center of satellite) or you could use the F = mg with g = GM/d².