How to Say "satellite" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “satellite” is “satélite” — use 'satélite' for any object, natural or artificial, that orbits a larger celestial body, such as the Moon or a man-made space probe..
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satélite
nounA2general
Use 'satélite' for any object, natural or artificial, that orbits a larger celestial body, such as the Moon or a man-made space probe.
Examples
La Tierra tiene un satélite natural, la Luna.
The Earth has one natural satellite, the Moon.
luna
/loo-nah//ˈluna/
nounB2general
Use 'luna' specifically when referring to a natural satellite, especially Earth's Moon, or when discussing the many natural satellites of other planets.
Examples
Marte tiene dos lunas pequeñas.
Mars has two small moons.
Júpiter tiene decenas de lunas, algunas más grandes que Mercurio.
Jupiter has dozens of moons, some larger than Mercury.
Los científicos están buscando vida en las lunas de Saturno.
Scientists are looking for life on the moons of Saturn.
Satélite vs. Luna
The most common mistake is using 'luna' for artificial satellites. Remember that 'satélite' is the general term that applies to both natural and artificial objects, while 'luna' is primarily used for natural satellites, especially our own Moon.
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