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aerobraking

British  
/ ˈɛərəʊˌbreɪkɪŋ /

noun

  1. the use of aerodynamic braking in extremely low-density atmospheres in space at hypersonic Mach numbers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Starship has not yet demonstrated aerobraking capabilities for missions like this, and the mission itself has not secured funding approval.

From Science Daily Apr. 3, 2026

According to the study's calculations, combining in-space refueling with this aerobraking approach could reduce travel time to Uranus to about six and a half years.

From Science Daily Apr. 3, 2026

Its heat-resistant design, originally intended for reentry on Earth and Mars, could be used to handle the intense heating from aerobraking in Uranus' atmosphere.

From Science Daily Apr. 3, 2026

Each segment carried on down, aerobraking with increasing severity as the atmosphere thickened around them.

From The Verge Feb. 7, 2018

After several aerobraking maneuvers to slow down, it made its final descent toward Acidalia Planitia.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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