orbiter

noun

or·​bit·​er ˈȯr-bə-tər 

: one that orbits: such as

a

: a spacecraft designed to orbit a celestial body without landing on its surface

b

: space shuttle

Examples of orbiter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And because sounding rockets don't require expensive boosters, missions costs also tend to be substantially less than other orbiter missions, according to the space agency. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 July 2025

Tianwen 1, launched in 2020, sent an orbiter and a rover to Mars. —Andrew Jones, Space.com, 17 July 2025

Of the four retired orbiters, Enterprise in New York and Endeavour in California are owned by their display homes; Discovery and Atlantis, the latter on display in Florida, remain federal property. —Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025

The panorama, captured on May 2 by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter, shows Arsia Mons, one of the largest volcanos on the Red Planet. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 10 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

orbit entry 3 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

orbiter

noun

or·​bit·​er ˈȯr-bət-ər 

1

: one that orbits

2

: space shuttle