Definition of "suborbital" [sub•or•bit•al]

• Having or following a trajectory of less than one orbit. Used of a rocket or spacecraft. (adjective)
• Anatomy Situated on or below the floor of the orbit of the eye. (adjective)
• A suborbital part, such as a bone, nerve, or cartilage. (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.

• "The real market in suborbital flight is going to be tourism, which could be quite a significant market ... but that's something that really doesn't need NASA; it's a market that is developing on its own quite nicely."
• ""Bezos 'Seattle-based Blue Origin suborbital space venture is starting the process to build an aerospace testing and operations center on a portion of the Corn Ranch, a 165,000-acre spread that the 41-year-old billionaire purchased north of Van Horn, Texas.""
• "Trans-oceanic flights for people and freight in suborbital space vehicles will be the developing norm."