1. a system for tracking and receiving signals from satellites and spacecraft, using small ground stations equipped with sensitive antennas and receivers
Usage: technical; aerospace; historical

Examples

• The Minitrack network was developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in the 1950s.
• Minitrack stations were used to monitor the orbit of the first artificial satellites.
• The minitrack system provided crucial data during the early space program.
• Engineers relied on minitrack receivers to track Sputnik's signals across the globe.