downrange

American  

[doun-reynj, doun-reynj] / 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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downrange

But downrange, it’s another miss, another splash of dirt.

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

“My children were downrange of many guns, and they screamed through the whole process. The committee should know they were traumatized,” Mr. Houck told the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government.

From Washington Times ● May 16, 2023

Most of them blew up, spectacularly, but a few wobbled downrange.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam