downrange

American  

[doun-reynj, doun-reynj] / ˈdaʊnˌreɪndʒ, ˈdaʊnˈreɪndʒ /

adjective

Rocketry.

1. being in the designated path from a launch pad to the point on a course generally taken as the target.

   The signal was picked up by a downrange radar station.

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downrange British  

/ ˈdaʊnˈreɪndʒ /

adjective

1. in the direction of the intended flight path of a rocket or missile

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Etymology

Origin of downrange

First recorded in 1950–55; down ¹ + range

Example Sentences

But downrange, it’s another miss, another splash of dirt.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2025

The first, the “rough braking” phase, began when the spacecraft was 30 kilometers above the moon in its orbit and about 750 km downrange from its landing site.

From Scientific American • Aug. 23, 2023

The first-stage booster made its fifth flight, with SpaceX once again recovering it downrange on its droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2023

“He’s trying to do things downrange to limit the number of people who try to come to the border in the first place.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 31, 2019

When Auk XVI was just a pinpoint in the sky, it arced over smoothly and dropped downrange.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam