Aerobraking is a
spaceflight maneuver that reduces the high point of an
elliptical orbit (
apoapsis) by flying the vehicle through the
atmosphere at the low point of the orbit (
periapsis), using
drag to slow the
spacecraft. Aerobraking saves fuel, compared to the direct use of a
rocket engine, when the spacecraft requires a low orbit after arriving at a body with an atmosphere.
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