suborbital

adjective

sub·​or·​bit·​al ˌsəb-ˈȯr-bə-tᵊl 

1

: situated beneath the eye or the orbit of the eye

2

: being or involving less than one orbit (as of the earth or moon)

also : intended for suborbital flight

Examples of suborbital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

SpaceX’s Starship will eventually double that power, but has to date only performed suborbital test missions. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2026

At least, that's according to Virgin Galactic, a commercial aerospace company specializing in suborbital flights to space. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 3 June 2026

General Hypersonics plans to increase automation within its launch operations and move beyond high-speed testing toward routine suborbital missions. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 June 2026

For instance, space tourism has gotten off the ground; wealthy people can book trips to suborbital space, and the super-rich can fly all the way to Earth orbit, as the experience of NASA chief Jared Isaacman shows. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for suborbital

• infraorbital
• postorbital
• interorbital
• periorbital
• supraorbital
• orbital

Medical Definition

suborbital

adjective

sub·​or·​bit·​al ˌsəb-ˈȯr-bət-ᵊl 

: situated or occurring beneath the eye or the orbit of the eye

suborbital fat