round-trip light time

noun

The amount of time required for an electromagnetic signal to travel from Earth to a spacecraft or another celestial body within the Solar System and then return.

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RTLT
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Meanings

nounround-trip light time (countable and uncountable, plural round-trip light times)

plural round-trip light times

  1. countableuncountableastronomyThe amount of time required for an electromagnetic signal to travel from Earth to a spacecraft or another celestial body within the Solar System and then return.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe elapsed time it takes for a signal to travel from Earth to a spacecraft (or other body) and back to the starting point

Similar
RTLT
Broader
elapsed time

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

round-trip light time. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round-trip%20light%20time

MLA

“round-trip light time.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round-trip%20light%20time. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “round-trip light time,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round-trip%20light%20time.

Source: round-trip light time on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.