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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Space Missions & Launches

Flyby

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈflaɪbaɪ/nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, flyby means: A manoeuvre in which a spacecraft passes close to a planet, moon or other body to study it or use its gravity, without going into orbit or landing.

In Turkish: yakın geçiş

How it is used

Mission teams talk about the closest approach during a flyby and use gravity-assist flybys to change speed and direction. The verb is 'fly by' (two words). British English also writes 'fly-by'.

Example sentences

  1. During its 2015 flyby, New Horizons took the first close-up images of Pluto.

  2. The probe will use a flyby of Venus to change its speed.

Common collocations

  • close flyby
  • gravity-assist flyby
  • flyby of Jupiter
  • during the flyby
  • space probeA robotic spacecraft without a crew that is sent to study planets, moons, comets or deep space and sends its data back to Earth.
  • trajectoryThe path that a rocket, spacecraft or other moving object follows through space, especially when it is not a closed orbit.
  • gravityThe force that pulls any two objects with mass towards each other. It keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun and keeps our feet on the ground.
  • missionA planned flight or project in space with a specific goal, such as sending a probe to Mars or taking a crew to a space station.

More terms: Space Missions & Launches

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