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

Some current and former spaceflight officials are skeptical that the Starship lander will be ready for that operation, given the amount of development work ahead and the relatively tight time frame.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Odysseus touched down in the Malapert A crater, some 300 kilometers from the moon’s south pole, becoming the first commercial lander to touch down on the moon.

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

Here's the cool part: I will eventually go to Schiaparelli and commandeer the Ares 4 lander.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir