| Acronym | Meaning |
| HTVL | Horizontal Takeoff Vertical Landing |
| NPOE | NPO Energiya |
| SOCC | Satellite Operations Control Center |
| AFETR | USAF's ETR |
| SDI | Strategic Defense Initiative |
| SECO | Sustainer Engine Cutoff |
| RKA | Rossiskoye Kosmicheskoye Agentsvo |
| AVHRR | Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer |
| CITA | Canadian Institute For Theoretical Astrophysics |
| OGO | Orbiting Geosurvey Observatories |