Hohmann transfer

noun

An elliptical orbit used to transfer a spacecraft between two circular orbits of different altitudes in the same plane, with the periapsis of the orbit being tangent to the smaller circular orbit and its apoapsis being tangent to the larger circular orbit.

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Meanings

nounHohmann transfer (plural Hohmann transfers)

plural Hohmann transfers

  1. aerospaceAn elliptical orbit used to transfer a spacecraft between two circular orbits of different altitudes in the same plane, with the periapsis of the orbit being tangent to the smaller circular orbit and its apoapsis being tangent to the larger circular orbit.
  2. aerospaceThe process of using such an orbit to transfer between two other orbits.

Origin

Named after Walter Hohmann, the German engineer who described it.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Hohmann transfer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hohmann%20transfer

MLA

“Hohmann transfer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hohmann%20transfer. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hohmann transfer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hohmann%20transfer.

Source: Hohmann transfer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.