[Physics] Why do some satellites fall to Earth

conservation-lawsdragnewtonian-gravitynewtonian-mechanicsorbital-motion

In another question How does Newtonian mechanics explain why orbiting objects do not fall to the object they are orbiting?, one can read an affirmative answer. They how do you explain satellites falling to Earth? (Here, falling means colliding with the Earth surface or burning out before reaching the surface. For example, fragments of Sky Lab fell on Australia in 1979.)

Best Answer

In the question you posted the link of, the mathematics is given by the chosen answer.

In the second answer there, the importance of conservation of angular momentum is stressed. In general, when considering gravitational solutions one has to think of conservation laws.

As an answer here stressed, friction in the remnants of atmosphere reduces the kinetic energy and also angular momentum of the satellites and they may eventually fall to the earth. ( conservation of energy).

It is instructive to examine another instability, when angular momentum is changed, which happens with the tides in the earth/moon system. The effect of the gravitational interaction is to increase the energy of the moon, which goes into a higher orbit; i.e. the complex gravitational interaction transfers kinetic energy to the moon. If you read the article you will see that this angular momentum change due to tides induced on the earth can also dominate the path of artificial satellites.

The moral of the story is that interactions determine the stability of orbits in gravitational systems, which change following conservation laws.