flyby

American  

[flahy-bahy] / ˈflaɪˌbaɪ /

Or fly-by

noun

flybys plural

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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• flybys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flyby

1950–55, noun use of verb phrase fly by

Example Sentences

While SpaceX was not directly involved in NASA's historic flyby of the Moon in April known as Artemis II, it will play a key role in the Artemis program's future.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

NASA's Psyche spacecraft has successfully completed a close flyby of Mars, using the planet's gravity to gain speed and redirect its path toward the asteroid Psyche.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

Every few months, people also hear about another large space rock making a close flyby.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

The moon flyby was great, but they are glad to be back.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

“You know what we saw on that Berg? The boxes of darts? There’s no way those people went to all that trouble to do a flyby flu ambush.”

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner