downlink

1 of 2

noun

down·​link ˈdau̇n-ˌliŋk How to pronounce downlink (audio)
: a communications channel for receiving transmissions from a spacecraft
also : such transmissions

downlink

2 of 2

verb

downlinked; downlinking; downlinks

transitive verb

: to transmit (data) from a spacecraft or satellite to a receiver on earth

Examples of downlink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Suave also took time alongside Whitson for another video downlink on July 6, Ax-4's flight day 12. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 9 July 2025 At the moment, as seen from Earth, the Solar Orbiter is almost behind the Sun, so the data downlink has slowed to a trickle. Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Verb
Bypassing the need to downlink data to ground stations scattered around the world will also mitigate security concerns, such as possible interception of data by adversary actors. Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2025 The spacecraft was launched from Florida last month and images from this week’s deployment sequence were downlinked from the orbiter by flight controllers at California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo. Washington Post, 26 July 2019 See All Example Sentences for downlink

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1963, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of downlink was in 1963

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Cite this Entry

“Downlink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downlink. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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