orbital decay.

A progressive reduction in an orbit’s size, often bringing the orbiting body closer to the object it circles.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• satellite orbital decay
• orbital decay from drag

On the page

Orbital decay brought the abandoned station closer to the atmosphere each week.

The report separated drag-driven orbital decay from the damage already visible on the hull.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.