lander

American  

[lan-der] / ˈlæn dər /

noun

1. a space probe designed to land on a planet or other solid celestial body.

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lander British  

/ ˈlændə /

noun

1. a spacecraft designed to land on a planet or other body Compare orbiter

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Etymology

Origin of lander

First recorded in 1960–65; land + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The lander’s leg got caught on the surface and broke, tipping the lander over.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The center was also designing and testing mock-ups of a lunar lander, which Armstrong — now the center’s namesake — later used to practice landing on the moon while still here on Earth.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Until someone produces a lander, all the astronauts can do is go round and round the moon and admire its “magnificent desolation,” as Buzz Aldrin put it.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

The announced changes mean that Artemis 3, which was meant to send astronauts to the Moon's surface, will now have the different test goal of "rendezvous in low-Earth orbit" of at least one lunar lander.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Subsequent observations by the Viking lander support the identification of windblown clays on Mars.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan