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 two orbiters will separate from one another between December 9 and 10, with the Mercury Planetary Orbiter moving into its orbital position on December 16 and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter following on March 10. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

At the moment, just two NASA orbiters relay data and commands between the agency's Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers and their handlers on Earth — Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched in 2001 and 2005, respectively. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2026

The network will augment and replace communications relay capacity currently provided by NASA’s aging science orbiters at Mars to link ground controllers with the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers exploring the Martian surface. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026

Sometime during the night on Earth, the Curiosity rover finished its day exploring on Mars and beamed its latest collection of images and measurements to a Mars orbiter zooming by overhead. — Ashwin R. Vasavada, The Conversation, 27 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