cislunar

adjective

cis·​lu·​nar (ˌ)sis-ˈlü-nər How to pronounce cislunar (audio)
: lying between the earth and the moon or the moon's orbit
cislunar space

Examples of cislunar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The rocket will launch four NASA astronauts into space to begin a journey around the far side of the Moon on the Artemis II mission, the first flight of humans to cislunar space since the last Apollo mission in 1972. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 19 July 2024 That's enough to move from higher orbits to cislunar space and back. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 30 Apr. 2024 Where will Coordinated Lunar Time be used? LTC will be used in operations in cislunar space, the region around the Earth that extends to the moon and past its orbit. George Petras, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024 Engineers sought to protect satellites in Earth orbit and avoid creating additional debris in cislunar space, Astrobotic said. George Petras, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024 That motive still exists in the U.S.-China rivalry, but now both countries are working toward building an enduring presence on the moon and in cislunar space, the real estate between the moon and Earth. Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023 That interest is apparent: Last year, the Space Force identified cislunar operations as a development priority, and in April established the 19th Space Defense Squadron to oversee cislunar space. Denise Chow, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2023 The Space Force must grow significantly as the economic and military competition with China expands outward from low-earth and medium-earth orbits toward cislunar space. Jerry Hendrix, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022 As the name implies, DARPA envisions DRACO operating primarily in cislunar space, or the area of space between Earth and the moon. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cislunar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cislunar was circa 1877

Dictionary Entries Near cislunar

Cite this Entry

“Cislunar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cislunar. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

cislunar

adjective
cis·​lu·​nar (ˈ)sis-ˈlü-nər How to pronounce cislunar (audio)
: lying between the earth and the moon or the moon's orbit
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