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

This “ballistic trajectory” takes longer but does not require a large engine firing to slow the spacecraft when it gets to the moon.

From New York Times

Finally, the larva’s bent-sausage body snaps straight, catapulting it in what researchers call “a ballistic trajectory.”

From Scientific American

Most ICBMs follow a ballistic trajectory — a path that a vehicle can’t really alter.

From The Verge

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

From The Verge