suborbital flights
Almost-orbit rocket trips
Suborbital flights are spacecraft journeys that reach space but don't complete a full orbit around Earth.
The craft goes up, briefly experiences weightlessness, then comes back down—like throwing a ball that returns rather than circling the planet.
These flights are used for space tourism, scientific research, and testing spacecraft: The company offers suborbital flights for paying customers.
Contrast with orbital flights, which achieve enough speed to continuously fall around Earth.
- rocket engineAerospace thrust generator
- space tourismRecreational trips past atmosphere
- passenger seatFront seat for non-drivers
- apogeeHighest orbital point
- trajectoryPath of moving object
delta-v · capsule · astronaut training · launch vehicle · rocket launch · atmospheric drag · reentry · escape velocity · heat shield · weightlessness · zero gravity · avionics · risk assessment · propellant · gravity well · emergency protocols · educational outreach · insurance policies
suborbital flightsinterplanetary missions
Spacecraft voyages between planets
interstellar travel · lunar missions · Mars missions · planetary exploration · Voyager missions
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