orbiter

American  

[awr-bi-ter] / ˈɔr bɪ tər /

noun

U.S. Aerospace.

1. Also called space shuttle orbiter.  the crew- and payload-carrying component of the space shuttle.

2. a space probe designed to orbit a planetary body or moon.

---

orbiter British  

/ ˈɔːbɪtə /

noun

1. a spacecraft or satellite designed to orbit a planet or other body without landing on it Compare lander

---

Etymology

Origin of orbiter

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; orbit + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

orbiter

When it debuts, the gallery will be the only place in the world with a complete shuttle stack, including orbiter, solid rocket boosters and an external tank.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Discovery is known for flying more miles in space than any other shuttle orbiter, carrying the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit and making an early rendezvous with Russia’s Mir space station.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

Neither Uranus nor Neptune has ever hosted an orbiter or long-term mission, making them the only planets in the solar system that have not been closely examined over time.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026

“The Mars rover and orbiter data is fully available to the public,” Valentinas said.

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2025

The Viking orbiter pictures improved this figure only slightly.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan