About Lunar Lander
Lunar Lander is a free Moon landing game with real lunar gravity (1.62 m/s², about one-sixth of Earth's). You control the main engine and steering thrusters, watch your altitude, vertical speed, sideways drift and fuel, and try to touch down gently on a glowing pad. It is a simplified physics model: the gravity is real, but thrust and fuel burn are tuned to make the game playable. Make three landings in the 150-second flight run, or complete the five missions to earn your Lunar Pilot wings.
The five missions
- Land safely. Touch down gently on the pad.
- Land with 30% fuel left. Conserve thrust: land safely with at least 30% fuel.
- Hit the middle of the pad. Land safely within the middle 40 px of the pad.
- Land softly. Touch down slower than 2.5 m/s.
- Precision landing. Land in the middle of the pad with at least 30% fuel left.
Difficulty levels
| Level | Pad | Gravity | Fuel | Safe landing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar Rookie | 160 px | 1.2 m/s² | 150% | under 4 m/s, drift under 3 m/s |
| Space Pilot | 120 px | 1.62 m/s² | 100% | under 3 m/s, drift under 3 m/s |
| Mission Commander | 80 px | 1.62 m/s² | 70% | under 2.5 m/s, drift under 3 m/s |
| Apollo Master | 60 px | 1.62 m/s² | 50% | under 2 m/s, drift under 3 m/s |
Controls: thrust, fuel and steering
- ↑, W or Space (hold): Main engine thrust (3% fuel per second)
- ← → or A D (hold): Steer sideways (0.5% fuel per second)
- ◀ ▲ ▶ buttons or touch: The same three controls on a phone or tablet
- R: Start over from the top, any time
- P: Pause or resume (the game also pauses when you switch tabs)
What was real
Apollo 11 landed with less than a minute of descent fuel left, which is why fuel management mattered so much on real landings.
Read about Apollo 11 →Lunar Lander FAQ
How does the Lunar Lander physics work?
Gravity pulls the lander down at 1.62 m/s², the Moon's real surface gravity, about one-sixth of Earth's. The main engine pushes up at 4 m/s² and the steering thrusters push sideways at 1.5 m/s². Thrust strength and fuel burn are game tuning, not a real spacecraft specification.
What makes a landing safe?
You must touch down on the pad, with a vertical speed below the limit for your difficulty (Lunar Rookie 4 m/s, Space Pilot 3 m/s, Mission Commander 2.5 m/s, Apollo Master 2 m/s) and less than 3 m/s of sideways drift.
What are the five missions?
Mission 1: Land safely. Mission 2: Land with 30% fuel left. Mission 3: Hit the middle of the pad. Mission 4: Land softly. Mission 5: Precision landing. Each one needs a safe landing plus its own goal, and finishing mission 1 unlocks Space Pilot, mission 2 unlocks Mission Commander and mission 4 unlocks Apollo Master.
How does the 150 second flight run work?
You make three landings in a row: a wide flat pad with low gravity, a narrow pad in a canyon with a gust every 10 seconds, and a moving platform. Fuel starts at 100 and a landing adds 40, a floating fuel can adds 20 every 18 seconds, and a repair appears every 20 seconds. A touchdown under 8 m/s on the pad counts. A harder touchdown that is not a crash bounces you and costs 10 fuel, and over 12 m/s costs 1 of your 5 hull. Each landing scores 1000 minus 2 per fuel burned and 5 per second, plus 500 for a soft touchdown under 5 m/s. After the third landing you win and can keep going on random pads for double points.
Is there wind on the Moon?
No. The Moon has essentially no atmosphere, so there is no wind. The gusts on Pad 2 of the flight run and the sideways drift on Mission Commander are labelled game mechanics that add challenge.
How close was the real Apollo 11 landing to running out of fuel?
Apollo 11 landed with less than a minute of descent fuel left, which is why fuel management mattered so much on real landings.
