aerobraking

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aer·o·brak·ing

A0112850 (âr′ō-brā′kĭng)n. The use of atmospheric drag rather than onboard thrusters to reduce the velocity of a satellite or spacecraft.

aerobraking

(ˈɛərəʊˌbreɪkɪŋ) n (Astronautics) the use of aerodynamic braking in extremely low-density atmospheres in space at hypersonic Mach numbers