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

The business also has made Space Shuttle drag parachutes for the orbiter, and parachutes that deploy from the tails of F-22 and F-35 military jets to break them from unrecoverable stalls or spins. —Pat Maio, Oc Register, 29 May 2026

Akers, together with his STS-49 crewmates Rick Hieb and Pierre Thuot, reached up with their gloved hands to grab hold of and secure a communications satellite in the orbiter’s payload bay. —Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 23 May 2026

The successful tests point toward a new class of Mars exploration vehicle, capable of carrying instruments over terrain that rovers may struggle to reach and that orbiters may be too far away to study. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 17 May 2026

Other Mars orbiters and rovers may also lend a hand by providing imaging observations and navigation data, according to NASA. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 May 2026

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