ballistic trajectory

American  

noun

1. the path of an unpowered object, as a missile, moving only under the influence of gravity and possibly atmospheric friction and with its surface providing no significant lift to alter the course of flight.

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Example Sentences

China in 2013 launched an object into space on a ballistic trajectory with a peak orbit above 18,600 miles in space — near geosynchronous orbit.

From Washington Times • Dec. 1, 2022

Another problem with ballistic trajectory is radiation exposure in the vacuum of space, Weeden added.

From The Verge • Sep. 29, 2017

He throws a snowball in the +x-direction, and it travels on a ballistic trajectory, hitting the ground some distance away.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

During most of its high-soaring course, it follows an unguided ballistic trajectory, like an artillery shell.

From Time Magazine Archive

Zond, it was revealed, re-entered the atmosphere on a simple ballistic trajectory, steep enough to heat the craft to levels that only instruments, not humans, could safely withstand.

From Time Magazine Archive