flyby

American  

[flahy-bahy] / ˈflaɪˌbaɪ /

Or fly-by

noun

plural

flybys

1. the flight of a spacecraft close enough to a celestial object, as a planet, to gather scientific data.

2. Aeronautics.

   1. Also called flypast.  a low-altitude flight of an aircraft for the benefit of ground observers.

   2. flyover.

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flyby British  

/ ˈflaɪˌbaɪ /

noun

1. a flight past a particular position or target, esp the close approach of a spacecraft to a planet or satellite for investigation of conditions

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Etymology

Origin of flyby

1950–55, noun use of verb phrase fly by

Example Sentences

Artemis II is the upcoming crewed mission, a “flyby” that, if all goes well, will take four astronauts around the back side of the moon before they return to Earth.

From Slate

On December 27th, 2024, a hockey-puck-shaped asteroid made a close flyby of the Earth, sending major alerts to the planet's asteroid tracking systems to look out for future impacts.

From Space Scoop

For Tigers boss Michael Cheika, his one-year flyby stint at the helm of Tigers finishes empty-handed.

From BBC

The president's Air Force One jet gave a flyby for spectators before he met the drivers and led them for a lap around the circuit.

From BBC

It was for a Boeing VC-25 which was doing a flyby near the Speedway.

From Los Angeles Times