Matching mission type to objectives
Mission design—orbiter, lander, or rover—is driven by the science goals, desired spatial coverage, and technical constraints. Each platform offers unique strengths.
When mission planners choose:
- Orbiters provide global or regional context, remote sensing, and communications relay.
- Landers deliver stationary, high-precision measurements at a single site.
- Rovers enable mobility to explore diverse geology and perform targeted sampling.
Trade-offs to consider
- Mobility vs. coverage: Rovers explore locally but orbiters see the whole planet.
- Complexity and cost: Rovers are more complex and expensive than passive landers.
- Science requirements: Some experiments need in situ sampling; others rely on spectral data from orbit.
A balanced exploration program uses all three platforms to build context, conduct detailed studies, and collect samples for future return.