aerobrake

American  

[air-oh-breyk] / ˈɛər oʊˌbreɪk /

verb (used without object)

aerobraked, aerobraking

1. (of a spacecraft or satellite) to reduce velocity by taking advantage of a planet's atmospheric drag.

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Etymology

Origin of aerobrake

First recorded in 1970–75; aero- ( def. ) + brake ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aerobrake aerobraked aerobraking

On Wednesday, Blue Origin also displayed an aerobrake that will help slow down and protect payloads returning to Earth.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 20, 2025

To save fuel that would otherwise be used by firing retrorockets to ease the ship into orbit around Mars, the craft will be equipped with an aerobrake.

From Time Magazine Archive

"I had a few minutes, so I ran through the aerobrake lockdown checklist for the reactor room. Everything's ready for acceleration and the compartment's sealed off."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

If all goes well, the wings will then be jettisoned and the sphere aerobraked back to Earth, its bounce-down on Russian soil cushioned by air bags.

From Time Magazine Archive

According to the study's calculations, combining in-space refueling with this aerobraking approach could reduce travel time to Uranus to about six and a half years.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026

Its heat-resistant design, originally intended for reentry on Earth and Mars, could be used to handle the intense heating from aerobraking in Uranus' atmosphere.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026

Starship has not yet demonstrated aerobraking capabilities for missions like this, and the mission itself has not secured funding approval.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026

Each segment carried on down, aerobraking with increasing severity as the atmosphere thickened around them.

From The Verge ● Feb. 7, 2018

After several aerobraking maneuvers to slow down, it made its final descent toward Acidalia Planitia.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir