telemetry

British  

/ tɪˈlɛmɪtrɪ /

noun

1. the use of radio waves, telephone lines, etc, to transmit the readings of measuring instruments to a device on which the readings can be indicated or recorded See also radiotelemetry

2. the measurement of linear distance using a tellurometer

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telemetry Scientific  

/ tə-lĕm′ĭ-trē /

1. The measurement of data at a remote source and transmission of the data (typically by radio) to a monitoring station. Telemetry is used, for example, to track the movements of wild animals that have been tagged with radio transmitters, and to transmit meteorological data from weather balloons to weather stations.

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telemetry Cultural  

1. Automatic measurement and transmission of data or information by such means as wire or (more commonly today) microwave relays from the source to a distant receiver.

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Discover More

Satellites transmit their data by telemetry.

Explanation

Devices that transmit data from a distance using radio waves, such as unmanned spacecraft and weather balloons, use telemetry. Telemetry is a method of quick communication, usually via radio transmissions but sometimes in other ways, like telephones or computer networks. It's a quick way for data to be received and measured by astronomers, meteorologists, doctors, and law enforcement officials, among others. The word telemetry comes from the French télémètre, which is made up of télé, "far," and mètre, "meter" or "device for measuring."

Example Sentences

BBC Sport has seen a telemetry data overlay of a quick lap from Bahrain with last year's cars compared with one from this year.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

This step checked more than 500,000 telemetry variables to ensure the plan would work safely with Perseverance's flight software.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2026

F1 teams have monitored telemetry remotely for years, but it didn’t become common in IndyCar racing until 2023.

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2025

We would send the camera telemetry to it, derive the image, send it back and chroma-key it into the show.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2024

During that time, Mission Control will gather exact telemetry in preparation for the trans-Mars injection burn.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir