What is the single most significant factor determining an object's survival time in space?
Answer
The height of the object above Earth
The altitude an object maintains above the Earth is overwhelmingly the most critical determinant of its orbital lifespan. This is because atmospheric friction, or drag, is the force responsible for naturally pulling most lower-altitude objects out of orbit to burn up in the atmosphere. Objects orbiting lower, such as near 600 km, might re-enter within a year, whereas objects at significantly higher altitudes, like GEO at nearly 36,000 km, experience negligible drag and can persist for millennia. Therefore, the height dictates the level of atmospheric interaction.
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