Wiktionary
n. 1 A miniature satellite 2 (context genetics English) Any of a group of polymorphic locus in DNA that consist of repeat units of just a few base pairs 3 (context lang=en space) an artificial satellite between 10 and 100 kilograms in mass
Wikipedia
A microsatellite is a tract of repetitive DNA in which certain DNA motifs (ranging in length from 2–5 base pairs) are repeated, typically 5–50 times. Microsatellites occur at thousands of locations in the human genome and are notable for their high mutation rate and diversity in the population.
Microsatellites and their longer cousins, the minisatellites, together are classified as VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats) DNA. The name "satellite" refers to the early observation that centrifugation of genomic DNA in a test tube separates a prominent layer of bulk DNA from accompanying "satellite" layers of repetitive DNA. Microsatellites are often referred to as short tandem repeats (STRs) by forensic geneticists, or as simple sequence repeats (SSRs) by plant geneticists.
They are widely used for DNA profiling in kinship analysis and in forensic identification. They are also used in genetic linkage analysis/ marker assisted selection to locate a gene or a mutation responsible for a given trait or disease.
Usage examples of "microsatellite".
It was the Group, predictably, broadcast from the microsatellite they owned, which all the pilgrim buses picked up with a special antenna.
One of the relay microsatellites which had been sown in orbit passed his words on.
Troyen, with a litter of microsatellites listening all around the globe.