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

This really is the key technology to make an upper stage rapidly reusable—NASA's space shuttle orbiters were reusable but required a standing army to refurbish the vehicle between flights. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025

Face on Mars / Cydonia In 1976, NASA’s Viking orbiter snapped a mesa (geological formation) in Mars’s Cydonia region that resembled a human face in the lighting of that moment. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025

China also has its Tianwen-1 orbiter, which carries a high-resolution camera comparable to that of MRO. —Andrew Jones, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Astronauts are on the cusp in the years ahead of journeying all the way to the Red Planet, where so far only rovers and orbiters have dared to venture. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Aug. 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