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 vault-like room with its large steel access doors held all of the recovered pieces—about 40 percent of the total orbiter—and was a departure from what NASA had done after its previous spaceflight disasters. —Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025

Meanwhile, China is exploring a multi-part mission architecture that would include an orbiter, a lander and a deep-drilling robot that would attempt to reach the subsurface ocean to search for potential biosignatures. —Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025

The orbiter was making its fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, which McArthur captured with a robotic arm as the shuttle was circling Earth. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025

Launching and landing the Viking spacecraft The two Viking spacecraft both consisted of an orbiter and a lander. —Joel S. Levine, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025

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