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

The lunar flyby is already NASA’s most viewed live broadcast on YouTube with more than 27 million views.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

During the lunar flyby, the crew proposed names for two surface features, continuing a longstanding tradition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The four astronauts on board the Orion spacecraft achieved a historic lunar flyby that saw them travel further from Earth than any other humans.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

The four astronauts -- Americans Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Jeremy Hansen -- set a record for distance from Earth during their lunar flyby.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Hermes is still on track for a Sol 549 flyby.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir