Gravity Turn

A gravity turn or zero-lift turn is a maneuver used in launching a spacecraft into, or descending from, an orbit around a celestial body such as a planet or a moon. It is a trajectory optimization that uses gravity to steer the vehicle onto its desired trajectory. It offers two main advantages over a trajectory controlled solely through vehicle's own thrust. Firstly, the thrust doesn't need to be used to change the ship's direction so more of it can be used to accelerate the vehicle into orbit. Secondly, and more importantly, during the initial ascent phase the vehicle can maintain low or even zero angle of attack. This minimizes transverse aerodynamic stress on the launch vehicle, allowing for a lighter launch vehicle.

The term gravity turn can also refer to the use of a planet's gravity to change a spacecraft's direction in other situations than entering or leaving the orbit. When used in this context it is similar to a gravitational slingshot; the difference is that a gravitational slingshot often increases or decreases spacecraft velocity and changes direction while the gravity turn only changes direction.