geosynchronous
adjective
geo·syn·chro·nous
ˌjē-ō-ˈsiŋ-krə-nəs 
-ˈsin-
: being or having an orbit around the earth with a period equal to one sidereal day
specifically
: geostationary
Examples of geosynchronous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The image was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, a spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit, on Wednesday.
—
Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Jan. 2024
The former is shorthand for geosynchronous equatorial orbit.
—IEEE Spectrum, 19 Feb. 2022
Meanwhile, geosynchronous satellites, which orbit about 22,000 miles above the equator, can pass through the Moon's shadow during an eclipse season even when that shadow cannot reach Earth.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023
The director of the NRO told reporters at a roundtable that Silent Barker will have a capability to continuously track moving objects in geosynchronous orbit which the current GSSAP satellites implicitly lack.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 5 Sep. 2023
The heavy-lift rocket's most recent previous launch on April 30 put another geosynchronous broadband satellite into orbit -- ViaSat-3.1 -- but that spacecraft's huge mesh antenna failed to fully deploy and the relay station may be a total loss.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 29 July 2023
The Department of Defense currently relies on about 10 missile defense satellites in geosynchronous orbit, which means their orbits keep pace with the Earth’s rotation at an altitude of about 22,000 miles.
—Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 14 Aug. 2023
Others in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), at 35,786 kilometers, hover over and move exactly with one spot on Earth.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020
Yet one obstacle has seemed insurmountable: the cost to get up to 10,000 tons of components all the way to geosynchronous orbit.
—W Wayt Gibbs, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2015
Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Jan. 2024
The former is shorthand for geosynchronous equatorial orbit.
—IEEE Spectrum, 19 Feb. 2022
Meanwhile, geosynchronous satellites, which orbit about 22,000 miles above the equator, can pass through the Moon's shadow during an eclipse season even when that shadow cannot reach Earth.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023
The director of the NRO told reporters at a roundtable that Silent Barker will have a capability to continuously track moving objects in geosynchronous orbit which the current GSSAP satellites implicitly lack.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 5 Sep. 2023
The heavy-lift rocket's most recent previous launch on April 30 put another geosynchronous broadband satellite into orbit -- ViaSat-3.1 -- but that spacecraft's huge mesh antenna failed to fully deploy and the relay station may be a total loss.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 29 July 2023
The Department of Defense currently relies on about 10 missile defense satellites in geosynchronous orbit, which means their orbits keep pace with the Earth’s rotation at an altitude of about 22,000 miles.
—Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 14 Aug. 2023
Others in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), at 35,786 kilometers, hover over and move exactly with one spot on Earth.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020
Yet one obstacle has seemed insurmountable: the cost to get up to 10,000 tons of components all the way to geosynchronous orbit.
—W Wayt Gibbs, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2015
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'geosynchronous.' 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
1968, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near geosynchronous
Cite this Entry
“Geosynchronous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geosynchronous. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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