geostationary

adjective

geo·​sta·​tion·​ary ˌjē-ō-ˈstā-shə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce geostationary (audio)
: being or having an equatorial orbit at an altitude of about 22,300 miles (35,900 kilometers) requiring an angular velocity the same as that of the earth so that the position of a satellite in such an orbit is fixed with respect to the earth

Examples of geostationary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The former operates two satellites in geostationary orbit, at an altitude of 35,000 kilometres (22,000 miles), with a third to launch in 2021. Jonathan O’Callaghan, WIRED, 24 May 2019 That means Starlink can deliver download bandwidth in the hundreds of megabytes and, crucially, latency right down into the tens of milliseconds, rather than the half-second or more that geostationary satellites suffer from. Barry Collins, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 This is a similar approach that SpaceX took with Starlink–instead of a few large, costly, geostationary satellites to deliver internet, which had been the case since the 1990s, Starlink instead consists of hundreds of small, cheap satellites in low orbit. Alex Knapp, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 Eutelsat spokesperson Katie Dowd said the agreement is focused on launches for the company’s upcoming satellites in geostationary orbit but declined to provide more information. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for geostationary 

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of geostationary was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near geostationary

Cite this Entry

“Geostationary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geostationary. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on geostationary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!