Orbital drift refers to the movement or shift of an object in its orbital path or trajectory. It can happen when gravity from other celestial bodies or external forces cause the object to gradually change its position or veer off its original course.
Full definition
Some satellites have fairly
large orbital drifts, going from measuring temperatures at 2 pm to 6 pm or 8 pm.
Many biases related to, for example, spacecraft altitude, east -
west orbital drift, solar heating, and instrument malfunctions.
While there is still some uncertainty regarding how to best correct for issues
like orbital drift and transitions to different satellites, satellite - based records now fairly closely mirror surface - based records, though with slightly lower trends.
The sensors also deteriorate over time, and corrections are necessary
for orbital drift and decay.
In particular, sattelites are subject to
some orbital drift and changes in altitude and sensor function over time that must be corrected, perhaps imperfectly to date.
All use the same underlying satellite readings, but apply different adjustments and models to account for satellite transitions and
orbital drift.