flyby

The word flyby, for something flying so as to pass close to something else, is commonly used in planetary science regarding space probes: a probe flying near a planet (or other such body, such as a moon or minor planet), using sensors and cameras to collect data. For some missions, such a flyby is the primary mission, e.g., New Horizons whose purpose was to collect data flying by Pluto. Many missions have serendipitous flybys, either making use of extra fuel, or even more common, while the probe is near a planet to undergo a gravity assist. For example, Cassini flew by Venus (twice), Earth, and Jupiter on its way to Saturn.

The term flyby is also occasionally used in astronomy for one astronomical object passing close to another. For example, a star passing close to another star or some other object (stellar flyby or close stellar encounter), or an asteroid passing close to Earth.