orbiter

[ awr-bi-ter ]
/ ˈɔr bɪ tər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR orbiter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun U.S. Aerospace.

Also called space shuttle orbiter. the crew- and payload-carrying component of the space shuttle.
a space probe designed to orbit a planetary body or moon.

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Compare lander.

Origin of orbiter

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; orbit + -er1

Words nearby orbiter

orbital process, orbital quantum number, orbital sander, orbital velocity, orbiteer, orbiter, Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, Orbiting Geophysical Observatory, Orbiting Solar Observatory, orbitography, orbitonasal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to orbiter

shuttle, space capsule, lifting body

Example sentences from the Web for orbiter

British Dictionary definitions for orbiter

orbiter
/ (ˈɔːbɪtə) /

noun

a spacecraft or satellite designed to orbit a planet or other body without landing on itCompare lander
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012