Involves

Word

Latency

LAY-tun-see · noun

The delay between an event or request and the arrival of a signal or response

Examples

  • The rover's communications latency made Earth-based steering unsuitable for the landing.

  • A connection can transfer large files quickly while still having noticeable latency before the first response.

Origin

Latency describes waiting time in a process or communication path. In spaceflight, part of that wait is unavoidable: radio signals travel at the speed of light, and the distance between planets is immense. More transmitting power cannot make the information arrive faster than that limit.

How it connects

Latency names the delay that separates an event from a distant observer's response.

This word appeared in When help arrives too late, the Involves connection for September 21, 2026, which asked: What must a machine decide before its operator can hear about the problem?

Check yourself

Which change primarily reduces latency?

A response reaches the user sooner after the request. Exactly. Latency measures delay, distinct from storage capacity or presentation.

What the sources establish

  • Signal delay limits remote intervention in a Mars landing.

Sources