Deorbited

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The procedure involving a spacecraft's transition from orbital altitude to a lower trajectory aimed at re-entry is referred to as this action
2. This term describes the process of intentionally altering the path of an object in orbit to facilitate its descent and eventual re-entry into a planetary atmosphere
3. The act of bringing a spacecraft down from its orbital position to prepare for re-entry into a planetary atmosphere is described by this term

Etymology: "Deorbited" is the past tense and past participle of "deorbit", a verb formed in English by attaching the prefix de- to "orbit". The prefix is Latin in origin, meaning "down from" or "away from", and it is the same element found in words such as "descend" and "deduct". Joined to "orbit", which comes from Latin "orbita" meaning a track or course, it gives the sense of removing something from its orbit, turning it away from the path it circles on and sending it down toward the surface. The verb is a modern formation that followed the spaceflight era, when orbiting craft had to be brought back to Earth on purpose. Its structure is transparent: de- reverses or removes, and orbit names the path being left. A satellite or spacecraft that is deorbited is therefore not simply falling; it has been deliberately nudged out of its circuit so that it can descend in a controlled way.