The lunar Surveyor Program was initiated and carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landing on the moon. This was done in preparation for the Apollo Program. The program was implemented by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and performed other several services beyond its primary goal. The ability for a spacecraft to make midcourse corrections was demonstrated, and the landers carried instruments to assist with evaluation of the suitability of their landing sites for manned Apollo landings.

There were seven Surveyor missions. Each consisted of a single unmanned spacecraft designed and built by Hughes Aircraft Company.