ballistic trajectory

noun

1. the path of an unpowered object, as a missile, moving only under the influence of gravity and possibly atmospheric friction and with its surface providing no significant lift to alter the course of flight.

Example Sentences

China in 2013 launched an object into space on a ballistic trajectory with a peak orbit above 18,600 miles in space — near geosynchronous orbit.

From Washington Times

This “ballistic trajectory” takes longer but does not require a large engine firing to slow the spacecraft when it gets to the moon.

From New York Times

Finally, the larva’s bent-sausage body snaps straight, catapulting it in what researchers call “a ballistic trajectory.”

From Scientific American

Most ICBMs follow a ballistic trajectory — a path that a vehicle can’t really alter.

From The Verge

Another problem with ballistic trajectory is radiation exposure in the vacuum of space, Weeden added.

From The Verge