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Definition of "liftoff" []

  • The initial movement by which or the instant in which a rocket or other such craft commences flight. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "liftoff" in a sentence
  • "The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla."
  • "But, consider this, the first time an ascent stage fails after liftoff from the lunar surface is the last trip to the moon for quite some time."
  • "In the current lunar lander ascent configuration, if your primary ascent stage fails after liftoff from the lunar surface but before you make it safely to lunar orbit, then landing the aborted vehicle with the engines failed or something else gone haywire so a pre-positioned unmanned vehicle can come to your rescue, is fatal 100% of the time since the landing of a crewed vehicle requires a working non-aborted system."