orbiter

noun

or·​bit·​er ˈȯr-bə-tər 

: one that orbits: such as

a

: a spacecraft designed to orbit a celestial body without landing on its surface

b

: space shuttle

Examples of orbiter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other worlds An orbiter circling Mars has spied frost forming on the tops of the red planet’s volcanoes for the first time. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 15 June 2024

This orbiter is a pretty amazing little spacecraft, as it's been flying around Mars since March 2006 and operating for nearly two decades. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 29 May 2024

The orbiters photographed the large farms — known as concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs — during snowy Wisconsin winters. —Bennet Goldstein, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024

Sign up What next? NASA is scheduled to launch its Europa Clipper orbiter in October to gather more data from Jupiter's moon, and the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer is expected to arrive in Europa's neighborhood in 2031. —Peter Weber, theweek, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

orbit entry 3 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

orbiter

noun

or·​bit·​er ˈȯr-bət-ər 

1

: one that orbits

2

: space shuttle