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

If getting out of the [shuttle] orbiter needed to be done quickly, how was he supposed to exit safely with a paraplegic? —Leonard David, Space.com, 5 Dec. 2025

The fate of the space shuttle Discovery, now at a Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, went unmentioned in the hearing, with this summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act calling for $85 million to move the orbiter to a Houston showplace. —Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 3 Dec. 2025

That changed after the orbiter team tested a new maneuver that rolls the spacecraft 120° along its flight axis – far beyond the old 28° limit – allowing SHARAD to aim its radar deeper and potentially detect the same reflections observed by MARSIS. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2025

The orbiters are expected to linger in a holding pattern before heading for Mars next year when the red planet is better aligned for a less fuel-intensive journey. —Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 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