downrange

American  

[daun-raynj, daun-raynj] / ˈdaʊnˌreɪndʒ, ˈdaʊnˈreɪndʒ /

adjective

Rocketry.

1. being in the designated path from a launch pad to the point on a course generally taken as the target.

   The signal was picked up by a downrange radar station.

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downrange British  

/ ˈdaʊnˈreɪndʒ /

adjective

1. in the direction of the intended flight path of a rocket or missile

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Etymology

Origin of downrange

First recorded in 1950–55; down ¹ + range

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downrange

Instead of trudging back to the treb for the seventh shot, a few of us linger downrange, about 30 yards to the side of the wall.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2025

This was the 17th launch of the first stage booster, and SpaceX made a recovery landing downrange on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024

The first, the “rough braking” phase, began when the spacecraft was 30 kilometers above the moon in its orbit and about 750 km downrange from its landing site.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 23, 2023

Tomlinson, in particular, said he feared for his safety, since his farm sits downrange from a backstop for bullets on Bell’s property that he called “totally ineffective.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 27, 2022

I climbed out of the blockhouse and caught sight of the wisp of its contrail as it fell downrange.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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