retrorocket

American  

[re-troh-rok-it] / ˈrɛ troʊˌrɒk ɪt /

Or retro-rocket

noun

1. a small, auxiliary rocket engine, forming a part of a larger rocket vehicle and having its exhaust nozzle pointed toward the direction of flight, for decelerating the larger rocket, separating one stage from another, etc.

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retrorocket British  

/ ˈrɛtrəʊˌrɒkɪt /

noun

1. Often shortened to: retro.  a small auxiliary rocket engine on a larger rocket, missile, or spacecraft, that produces thrust in the opposite direction to the direction of flight in order to decelerate the vehicle or make it move backwards

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Etymology

Origin of retrorocket

First recorded in 1945–50; retro- + rocket ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retrorocket

If the retrorocket is fired in the wrong direction, it will speed the satellite up and put it on an orbit with a higher apogee.

From Time Magazine Archive

The survival package, slowed by a solid-propellant retrorocket, should land on the moon at something like 70 m.p.h.

From Time Magazine Archive

The solution: a design called a retrorocket that automatically blasts portholes in the fuel chamber, drops the pressure, effectively cuts off the power.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mariner 9 fired its retrorocket and went into a looping orbit around the red planet, swinging as close as 800 miles to the Martian surface.

From Time Magazine Archive

Both a parachute and a retrorocket will slow its plunge, and an array of airbags will inflate to cushion the shock of landing.

From Time Magazine Archive