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 moon is about 14,913 miles (24,000 kilometers) from the Martian surface, and orbiters have observed it since the 1970s — including a recent flyby of the European Space Agency’s Hera mission in March 2025. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

The orbiter will carry a particle detector that will be Thailand’s first piece of space hardware to leave Earth orbit and will measure incoming particles from around the solar system. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

The orbiter’s narrow-angle camera can spot features as small as three feet wide. — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

If the orbiter took its photos only 10 seconds off its mark, the subject would have already moved 10 miles off-center. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

orbit entry 2 + -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