splashdown

American  

[splash-doun] / ˈsplæʃˌdaʊn /

noun

1. the landing of a space vehicle in a body of water, especially the ocean.

   The footage of Apollo 11's splashdown was seen by millions across the United States.

2. the exact place where such a landing is made.

   The splashdown is expected to be American Samoa.

3. the time of such a landing.

   The splashdown was 2:04 p.m.

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verb phrase

1. (of a spacecraft or an astronaut) to land in a body of water, especially the ocean.

   The crew of Expedition 55 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean exactly as predicted at 10:43 this morning.

splashdown British  

/ ˈsplæʃˌdaʊn /

noun

1. the controlled landing of a spacecraft on water at the end of a space flight

2. the time scheduled for this event

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verb

1. (intr, adverb) (of a spacecraft) to make a splashdown

Etymology

Origin of splashdown

First recorded in 1955–60; splash ( def. ) + down ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission has successfully concluded with a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean early Thursday morning, just off the coast of San Diego.

From Science Daily

Starship’s Super Heavy booster blew up over the Gulf of Mexico, where it was supposed to have made what’s called a “hard splashdown.”

From Salon

On return to Earth, the astronauts will experience a bumpy return through the atmosphere and a splashdown off the west coast of the US, in the Pacific.

From BBC

It was able to fly for a longer period before it spun out of control, breaking apart near its intended splashdown location in the Indian Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal

Over the course of about an hour, the Super Heavy booster successfully separated from Starship and made a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• accident
• collapse
• impact
• pileup
• wreck