Sub-orbit referred to the trajectory of an object in space that did not reach a full orbit around a celestial object.
In 1968, in response to a nuclear warhead being placed in sub-orbit by another major power, the United States launched a suborbital platform with multi-warhead capacity for the purpose of maintaining the balance of power. (TOS: "Assignment: Earth")
In 2259, a farmer who had survived a Gorn attack on Finibus III reported seeing streaks in the sky like "rain on fire", which Una Chin-Riley suggested could have been from a sub-orbital plasma bombardment. (SNW: "Memento Mori")
| Orbits |
|---|
| Circular orbit • Decaying orbit • Elliptical orbit • Equatorial orbit • High orbit • Low orbit • Polar orbit • Standard orbit • Stationary orbit • Sub-orbit • Synchronous orbit |
| Lagrange point • Tidal locking |