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
Virgin Galactic said in a May 28 press release the flight will be used to study the menstrual cycle beyond Earth in suborbital space.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Before New Glenn, New Shepard was the only rocket Blue Origin ever launched to space, and each of those flights was suborbital.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 1 June 2026
However, Starship is still in the early stages of development, and over the past couple of years prototypes have exploded during brief, suborbital test flights.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
With its first Delta-class suborbital spaceship expected to debut this summer, Virgin Galactic has returned its first-generation SpaceShipTwo vehicle Unity to flight for pilot and ground team training, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for suborbital
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Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Before New Glenn, New Shepard was the only rocket Blue Origin ever launched to space, and each of those flights was suborbital.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 1 June 2026
However, Starship is still in the early stages of development, and over the past couple of years prototypes have exploded during brief, suborbital test flights.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
With its first Delta-class suborbital spaceship expected to debut this summer, Virgin Galactic has returned its first-generation SpaceShipTwo vehicle Unity to flight for pilot and ground team training, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for suborbital
Cite this Entry
“Suborbital.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suborbital. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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