downlink

1 of 2

noun

down·​link ˈdau̇n-ˌliŋk How to pronounce downlink (audio)
: a communications channel for receiving transmissions from a spacecraft
also : such transmissions

downlink

2 of 2

verb

downlinked; downlinking; downlinks

transitive verb

: to transmit (data) from a spacecraft or satellite to a receiver on earth

Examples of downlink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
But one of the things that is emerging is the ability for uplinks and downlinks to both be incredibly robust and to handle massive amounts of capacity. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024 But by April 2024, the downlink rate of the laser reached only 25Mbps as Psyche traveled farther out to the solar system. Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Oct. 2024
Verb
The spacecraft will align its antenna with Earth and downlink the photographs via the Deep Space Network. Mika McKinnon, Discover Magazine, 14 Sep. 2017 The spacecraft was launched from Florida last month and images from this week’s deployment sequence were downlinked from the orbiter by flight controllers at California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo. Washington Post, 26 July 2019 See all Example Sentences for downlink 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1963, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of downlink was in 1963

Dictionary Entries Near downlink

Cite this Entry

“Downlink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downlink. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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