// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Lander
A lander is a spacecraft designed to descend and make a soft landing on the surface of a celestial body, such as a planet or moon.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A lander is a robotic spacecraft designed to perform a controlled descent and soft landing on the surface of a planetary body, such as a moon or planet, often equipped with instruments for in-situ scientific investigation.
BACKGROUND
Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost, or simply Blue Ghost, is a class of lunar landers designed and manufactured by the American company Firefly Aerospace. Firefly builds and operates Blue Ghost landers to deliver small payloads to the surface of the Moon. The first Blue Ghost mission was launched in January, 2025. It successfully landed on the Moon on March 2, 2025. The landers are named after the firefly species Phausis reticulata, known as blue ghosts.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Planetary probe
- Surface probe
- Descent vehicle
- Touchdown craft
USAGE NOTE
The Mars Perseverance rover was delivered to the Martian surface by a lander.