flyby

or fly-by

[ flahy-bahy ]

noun

, plural fly·bys.

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 ( def 1 ).

flyby

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of flyby¹

1950–55, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase fly by

Example Sentences

There has been talk in the last couple of months that some at NASA are seeking a mission extension to September 2025, so that Juno can do flybys of some of Jupiter’s moons and study them up close.

From MIT Technology Review

The Soviets were pursuing an ambitious flight schedule in an attempt to keep up with their American counterparts, designing spacecraft and rocketry for lunar landings, lunar flybys and earth orbiting.

From Ozy

It’s for a lunar flyby mission that NASA has planned for 2022.

From Science News For Students

The flyby is meant to use Venus’s gravity as a speed-reducing force to adjust the trajectory of the spacecraft on to its eventual destination.

From MIT Technology Review

New Zealand–based Rocket Lab wants to launch a small satellite called Photon for a flyby of Venus as early as 2023.

From MIT Technology Review