ELI5: What is a glide vehicle on a missile?

A glide vehicle on a missile is like a paper airplane that comes off a rocket in the sky and then flies a long way to its target.

Imagine you're launching a super cool paper airplane! But instead of throwing it by hand, you put it on top of a small rocket.

• First, the rocket shoots straight up, way higher than you could ever throw.
• Then, when the rocket reaches the right spot, it lets go of the paper airplane – that's the glide vehicle.
• Instead of just falling straight down, the paper airplane (the glide vehicle!) uses its wings to glide smoothly through the air, like a bird.

• The rocket is like a bus getting the paper airplane to its starting point high up in the air.
• The glide vehicle is the paper airplane itself, using its shape to fly a long distance.