Definition of spaceplane in English:
spaceplane
nounˈspeɪsˌplɛɪnˈspeɪspleɪn
An aircraft that takes off and lands conventionally but is capable of entry into orbit or travel through space.
Example sentencesExamples
- As an engineer for the aerospace firm starting in the late 1980s, Zubrin worked on projects ranging from a nuclear rocket engine to a spaceplane.
- With nothing but the nearby town in view, one can easily imagine a future where spaceplanes take off and land from a bustling facility on the site.
- Projects like the HOTOL spaceplane have been rare exceptions to British disinterest in human spaceflight.
- It will not be easy to get from X Prize-class craft like SpaceShipOne to a genuine orbital spaceplane.
- After disconnecting from the tanker, the spaceplane starts its rocket engine and climbs to 70 mile altitude and Mach 15.
- The Romanian team will present a mock-up of a new winged spaceplane called Orizont.
- At present NASA is committed to the construction of a light spaceplane for carrying astronauts to and from the beleaguered International Space Station - now manned by an emergency crew of two.
- Whatever its technological virtues, the shuttle will probably be the last attempt to build a multi-purpose spaceplane.