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

After an impressive but brief flurry of spaceflight activity—seven human spaceflights in a year, even to suborbital space, is unprecedented for a private company—Virgin Galactic will now be grounded again for at least two years, Ars reports. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 June 2024

The suborbital flight of Shepherd and the Freedom 7 spacecraft lasted 15 minutes before a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. —The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2024

Most space entrepreneurs see tourism as the route to profitability, with suborbital flights or perhaps floating space hotels for zero-g recreation. —Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2020

The company is developing two new Delta-class spaceplanes which, if all goes according to plan, should be doing hundreds of suborbital flights, as opposed to a half-dozen, in two years. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 15 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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