noun
- plural of swingby: a maneuver in which a spacecraft uses the gravitational field of a planet or moon to alter its trajectory and speed
Usage: aerospace; technical
Examples
- The mission required multiple swingbys around Venus to reach its final destination.
- NASA calculated precise swingbys to conserve fuel during the long journey.
- The spacecraft performed three swingbys before entering Jupiter’s orbit.
- Engineers planned the swingbys years in advance to optimize the flight path.
- These swingbys allowed the probe to gain enough speed to escape the solar system.
- The mission’s success depended on executing the swingbys with perfect timing.