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
Moskowitz has reported live from rocket launches, space shuttle liftoffs and landings, suborbital spaceflight training, mountaintop observatories, and more.
—
Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Rocket Lab has also flown seven missions with HASTE, a suborbital version of Electron designed to help customers test hypersonic technologies, bringing the company's overall liftoff tally to 83.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Richard Branson’s company is the only one left helping wealthy tourists explore the outer reaches of our atmosphere via suborbital flight—with its only competitor bowing out recently, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin announcing in January it would be stopped its space tourism endeavors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
The mission, called Cassowary Vex, sent the DART AE demonstrator into a suborbital flight aboard Rocket Lab’s HASTE vehicle.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suborbital
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Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Rocket Lab has also flown seven missions with HASTE, a suborbital version of Electron designed to help customers test hypersonic technologies, bringing the company's overall liftoff tally to 83.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Richard Branson’s company is the only one left helping wealthy tourists explore the outer reaches of our atmosphere via suborbital flight—with its only competitor bowing out recently, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin announcing in January it would be stopped its space tourism endeavors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
The mission, called Cassowary Vex, sent the DART AE demonstrator into a suborbital flight aboard Rocket Lab’s HASTE vehicle.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 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 27 Mar. 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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