suborbital

[ suhb-awr-bi-tl ]

adjective

1. (of a spacecraft) not in orbit; not achieving an altitude and velocity resulting in a ballistic trajectory circling the earth at least once.
2. Anatomy. situated below the orbit of the eye.

suborbital

/ sʌbˈɔːbɪtəl /

adjective

1. (of a rocket, missile, etc) having a flight path that is less than one complete orbit of the earth or other celestial body
2. anatomy situated beneath the orbit of the eye

Word History and Origins

Origin of suborbital¹

First recorded in 1815–25; sub- + orbital

Example Sentences

A successful recent round of fundraising means a commercial suborbital launch is on track to start in 2025, company officials said Tuesday.

From Seattle Times

Blue Origin’s accomplishments to date are modest — a small vehicle known as New Shepard that takes space tourists and experiments on brief suborbital jaunts.

From New York Times

That doesn’t include test launches from Texas of its in-development Starship and Super Heavy, which is gearing up for its third attempt at a successful suborbital launch as early as next month.

From Seattle Times

“No bureaucracy, no committees, they just do what they want,” Bezos told a crowd gathered in Van Horn, Texas, just after he went into suborbital space for the first time.

From Seattle Times

The company's suborbital tourist rocket, New Shepard, has been grounded for more than a year after a 2022 accident.

From Reuters