What does comsat mean?
A comsat is a communications satellite: an artificial satellite orbiting the Earth whose purpose is to receive, amplify, and retransmit signals — carrying telephone calls, television broadcasts, radio, and data across continents and oceans. The word is a portmanteau of 'communications' and 'satellite', coined during the space race of the early 1960s, when satellites such as Telstar first demonstrated that live signals could be relayed through orbit rather than along undersea cables. In use, 'comsat' appears mostly in aerospace journalism, engineering documents, and military or governmental writing, often in phrases like 'comsat link' or 'comsat ground station'. While it carries no strong emotional connotation, it evokes the technological optimism of the Space Age. For most everyday speakers the fuller term 'communications satellite' is more natural, but 'comsat' remains a compact, recognized shorthand among professionals and space enthusiasts.
nounA comsat is a communications satellite — an artificial satellite placed in orbit to relay telephone, television, radio, and data signals between points on Earth.
- An artificial satellite used to relay telecommunications signals between Earth stations.
"The live broadcast was carried across the ocean by a comsat in geostationary orbit."
"Engineers uploaded new firmware to the aging comsat before its propellant ran out."
"Rural villages that had never had phone service were connected overnight once the comsat came online."
Regular plural; used when discussing multiple satellites collectively.
"Dozens of comsats now crowd the geostationary arc above the equator."
'Comsat' is a classic 1960s portmanteau of 'communications' + 'satellite', born the same decade humanity first bounced TV signals off the sky.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of comsat
Comsat was formed in the early 1960s as a blend (portmanteau) of 'communication(s)' and 'satellite', following the model of other space-age clippings like 'sputnik-era' jargon. Its first element traces back through French 'communication' to Latin 'communicare' ('to share, make common'), from 'communis' ('common'), which also gives English words such as 'common', 'commune', and 'communicate'. The word gained particular prominence through COMSAT, the Communications Satellite Corporation established by the US Communications Satellite Act of 1962.
Related word forms
How comsat is actually used
Comsat is a somewhat technical or journalistic abbreviation; in everyday speech most people say 'communications satellite'. It also appeared as a proper noun for Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), the US company created by the Communications Satellite Act of 1962.
Easily confused with comsat
A cosmonaut is a Russian-trained astronaut who travels to space, whereas a comsat is an unmanned satellite that relays signals.