prelaunch

adjective

pre·​launch ˌprē-ˈlȯnch 

-ˈlänch

variants or pre-launch

1

: in preparation for or preliminary to the launch of a spacecraft, missile, satellite, etc.

a prelaunch inspection

2

: in preparation for or preliminary to the launch of a new product, campaign, etc.

prelaunch testing of the software

In the motion picture industry, prelaunch advertising has been shown to increase stock prices and possibly create unrealistic expectations about a movie's performance …

—Amit Joshi and Dominique M. Hanssens

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined at sense 1