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

On Friday, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts returned safely after a historic lunar flyby.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Artemis II astronauts expressed awe on Saturday over their record-setting lunar flyby mission, urging unity on Earth after witnessing the planet's isolation like a "lifeboat" in space.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

Yet Monday’s flyby — the first time humans had reached the moon since 1972 — held an emotional significance for the crew and space enthusiasts beyond the mission’s technical objectives.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Straight after the flyby, President Trump spoke with the Orion team and congratulated them: "Today, you've made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud."

From BBC • Apr. 9, 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