hard launchn.
/ˈhɑːd lɔːn(t)ʃ/, U.S. /ˈhɑrd ˌlɔn(t)ʃ/, /ˈhɑrd ˌlɑn(t)ʃ/ 1. A missile launch in which the rocket engine is ignited whilst the missile is still in the launch assembly.
ΚΠ
1978 K. F. Spielmann Analyzing Soviet Strategic Arms Decisions 173 Was the successor system that much better than the SS-6 in respect to both accuracy and hard-launch capability?
1995 R. Barrett in U.S. Air Force Summer Faculty Res. Program Final Rep.: Wright Lab. 5A a i. 17 Adaptive materials like piezoceramics can survive hard launches and flight loads typical of bullets and cannon shells.
2012 U.S. Patent 8,173,946 B1 3 Soft launching allows for a smoother launch of the interceptor missile.., with less tip over relative to a hard launch.
2. Marketing. The release and promotion of a new product or service to a wide audience or market, as part of a marketing strategy which may or may not include a prior soft launch (soft launch n.).
ΚΠ
1985 Times of India 8 Oct. 13/1 The hotels [sic] is expected to soft launch in early 1986 and the hard launch will be soon thereafter.
1996 Telephony 13 May 10/2 Unless you have a system that you know is going to work, it's very difficult to go with a hard launch.
2001 A. Friedlein Web Project Managem. ix. 212 It is easy to see why people want the hard launch as soon as possible..but at least a short soft launch period is advisable.
2005 Financial Times 2 Sept. 23/4 The US prefers to have a hard launch, with a lot of product available on the market from the start.
2010 Strategy 1 Dec. 9 The site..is currently live in a beta version. Its hard launch, with branding care of Saatchi, will be at the end of December.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
hard launchv.
/ˈhɑːd lɔːn(t)ʃ/, U.S. /ˈhɑrd ˌlɔn(t)ʃ/, /ˈhɑrd ˌlɑn(t)ʃ/ Marketing.
transitive. To release and promote (a new product or service) to a wide audience or market, as part of a marketing strategy which may or may not include a prior soft launch (soft launch n.). Also (and in earliest use) intransitive: (of a product or service) to be released in this way.
ΚΠ
1996 Atlanta Constit. 23 Aug. d2/2 The..venture into local content ‘hard-launched’ Thursday, officially opening a site on the world's largest online service.
1998 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) (Nexis) 6 Oct. (Business section) 2 The trial had achieved break-even levels with little marketing, making the idea successful enough to now hard-launch.
2000 Information World Rev. July 5 The service is hard launching in the UK, France, Germany and Italy in the autumn.
2006 Marketing Week 9 Feb. 3/2 The company..plans to review how well the product is received in Charlotte..before hard-launching it in 11 further states.
2013 Financial Managem. May 40/2 We don't want to hard launch the products until they are thoroughly tested and we believe they are good enough.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1978v.1996