Page "Atmospheric entry" Paragraph 2

Most objects entering the atmosphere are not released from rest just above it, but rather are entering at hypersonic speeds because they are on suborbital ( e. g. ICBM reentry vehicles ), orbital ( e. g. the Space Shuttle ), or unbounded ( e. g. meteors ) trajectories.

Therefore, controlled atmospheric entry often requires special methods to protect against severe aerodynamic heating.

Various advanced technologies have been developed to enable atmospheric reentry and flight at extreme velocities.