Lunar Orbital Rendezvous

Lunar Orbital Rendezvous (LOR) is a space mission strategy where a spacecraft traveling to the Moon first enters orbit around it. A smaller lunar module then separates from the main spacecraft to land on the Moon’s surface, perform its mission, and return to the orbiting spacecraft. This approach allows the main spacecraft to stay in orbit, supporting the lunar module’s return, which reduces the amount of fuel needed for the trip. LOR was used during the Apollo program and remains a practical way to send humans to the Moon efficiently by focusing fuel and resources on the lunar surface visit.