The correct answer is:
A. orbiting closer to the earths surface.
In fact, the gravitational force exerted by the Earth on the satellite is
[tex]F=G \frac{Mm}{r^2} [/tex]
where
G is the gravitational constant
M is the Earth mass
m is the satellite mass
r is the distance of the satellite from the Earth's surface
We can see that, if the satellite orbits closer to the Earth's surface, its distance r from the centre of the planet decreases. But when r decreases, F (the gravitational force) increases, so A is the correct answer.
