blastoff

noun blast·off \ ˈblast-ˌȯf \

Definition of blastoff

: a blasting off (as of a rocket)

See blastoff defined for English-language learners

Examples of blastoff in a Sentence

the mission was scrubbed just minutes before blastoff

Recent Examples of blastoff from the Web

Early speculation centered on an explosion caused by a structural defect or the possibility that crucial, heat-protecting tiles on the shuttle's left wing were damaged when they were struck by a piece of fuel-tank insulation during blastoff.

— martin merzer and phil long, miamiherald, "Columbia space shuttle blew up 15 years ago | Miami Herald," 31 Jan. 2018
Counting his takeoff from the moon in 1972 as commander of Apollo 16, Young’s blastoff tally stood at seven, for decades a world record.

— marco santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, "John Young, astronaut who grew up in Orlando, dies at 87," 7 Jan. 2018
Counting his takeoff from the moon in 1972 as commander of Apollo 16, his blastoff tally stood at seven, for decades a world record.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "Legendary Apollo Astronaut John Young Has Died," 6 Jan. 2018
From blastoff risks to radiation dangers to splashdown hazards, industry and government experts have said SpaceX’s plans pose difficult technical and policy decisions unlike any the nation’s space program has faced in many years.

— andy pasztor, WSJ, "SpaceX Successfully Launches Reused Booster for NASA, a First," 15 Dec. 2017
The initial unmanned blastoff of SLS is now expected to slip several months to late 2019, with a manned test flight to follow between 2021 and 2023.

— andy pasztor, WSJ, "SpaceX’s Mars Vision Puts Pressure on NASA’s Manned Exploration Programs," 4 Oct. 2017
Each mighty blastoff left traces on the flame trench, a 42-foot-deep pit lined with fire-resistant bricks and concrete that channels a rocket’s superheated exhaust away from the spacecraft.

— amy crawford, Smithsonian, "New Photos Reveal What’s Left Behind When a Rocket Travels to Space," 29 June 2017
The United States Pacific Command said that one of the three ballistic missiles had blown up immediately after blastoff, but that two others had traveled about 155 miles before splashing down.

— choe sang-hun, New York Times, "North Korea Used Multiple-Rocket Launchers to Test Missiles," 26 Aug. 2017
Less than nine minutes after blastoff, to the relief of all, the shuttle safely carried the educator and her colleagues into orbit.

— by martin merzer and phil long, miamiherald, "The day a teacher blasted into space, years after a shuttle mission killed her friend," 7 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blastoff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.