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

In 2025, Blue Origin briefly sent an all-female crew, including pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, and Bezos’ second wife, Lauren Sanchez, on a suborbital flight. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025

However, his suborbital New Shepard vehicle has flown 35 times, all but one a success, and has a nearly flawless landing record. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025

The spacecraft ignites its onboard rocket motor, powering its own way to suborbital space, then glides back down for a runway landing here on Earth. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2025

So far, the nearly 400-foot-tall (121-meter) vehicle has launched on 10 suborbital test flights with varying degrees of success. —Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025

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