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Definition of orbiter
: one that orbits: such asa : a spacecraft designed to orbit a celestial body without landing on its surfaceb : space shuttle
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Recent Examples of orbiter from the Web
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In the world: The first Space Shuttle orbiter — Enterprise OV-101 — is unveiled on Sept. 17.
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The agency has several potential mission concepts on the table, including flybys, orbiters and even a spacecraft to dive into Uranus' atmosphere, agency officials said in a statement.
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In 2014, India sent an orbiter to Mars at a cost of $74 million, a fraction of the $671 million the U.S. space agency NASA spent on its MAVEN Mars mission.
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The orbiter has also provided hints into Mars spacecraft that failed.
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Imagine that the Europa orbiter and subsequent lander survived the harsh conditions on Europa, only to discover that the cracks in the ice-mantle show evidence of organic life.
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On the books: a second mission to Mars and a possible Venus orbiter in cooperation with NASA.
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The Japanese Aerospace Exploration and the European Space Agencies plan to send their BepiColombo mission, a pair of orbiters, to Mercury next year.
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Humans have spent decades sending robotic missions to other planets, leaving orbiters and dropping landers along the way.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orbiter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of orbiter
1951
ORBITER Defined for English Language Learners
orbiter
play
noun
Definition of orbiter for English Language Learners
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: a vehicle or device that travels around a planet or moon in space
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