Deutsch: Orbiterschiff / Español: Nave orbitadora / Português: Orbitador / Français: Orbiteur / Italiano: Orbiter/
An "orbiter" in the aerospace context refers to a spacecraft or vehicle that is designed to orbit a celestial body, such as a planet, moon, or asteroid. It is equipped with propulsion systems and guidance systems that allow it to maintain its orbit around the body and make adjustments as needed.
Examples of orbiters include:
- The Hubble Space Telescope, which is an orbiter that orbits Earth and provides high-resolution images of the universe.
- The International Space Station (ISS), which is an orbiter that orbits Earth and serves as a laboratory for scientific research in microgravity.
- The Galileo orbiter, which orbited Jupiter and its moons between 1995 and 2003, providing detailed information about the planet and its system.
- The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is currently orbiting Mars and studying the planet's surface and atmosphere.
- The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is currently orbiting the Moon and mapping the surface, studying the polar regions and looking for resources.
Orbiters can be equipped with a variety of instruments and sensors, such as cameras, spectrometers, and radar, to study the celestial body and its environment. They can also be used to relay communications and data between Earth and other spacecraft or landers on the surface of the body.