aerobrake

[ air-oh-breyk ]

verb (used without object)

, aer·o·braked, aer·o·brak·ing.

1. (of a spacecraft or satellite) to reduce velocity by taking advantage of a planet's atmospheric drag.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aerobrake¹

First recorded in 1970–75; aero- ( def ) + brake ¹( def )