Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Illustration of LRO
Mission typeLunar orbiter
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2009-031A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.35315
Websitelunar.gsfc.nasa.gov
Mission duration
  • Primary mission: 1 year[1]
  • Science mission: 2 years[1]
  • Extension 1: 2 years[1]
  • Extension 2: 2 years[2]
  • Elapsed: 14 years, 11 months and 22 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerNASA / GSFC
Launch mass1,916 kg (4,224 lb)[3]
Dry mass1,018 kg (2,244 lb)[3]
Payload mass92.6 kg (204 lb)[3]
DimensionsLaunch: 390 × 270 × 260 cm (152 × 108 × 103 in)[3]
Power1850 W[4]
Start of mission
Launch dateJune 18, 2009, 21:32:00 (2009-06-18UTC21:32Z) UTC
RocketAtlas V 401
Launch siteCape Canaveral SLC-41
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Entered serviceSeptember 15, 2009 (September 15, 2009)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemSelenocentric
Semi-major axis1,825 km (1,134 mi)
Periselene altitude20 km (12 mi)
Aposelene altitude165 km (103 mi)
EpochMay 4, 2015[5]
Moon orbiter
Orbital insertionJune 23, 2009
 

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit.[6][7] Data collected by LRO have been described as essential for planning NASA's future human and robotic missions to the Moon.[8] Its detailed mapping program is identifying safe landing sites, locating potential resources on the Moon, characterizing the radiation environment, and demonstrating new technologies.[9][10]

Launched on June 18, 2009,[11] in conjunction with the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), as the vanguard of NASA's Lunar Precursor Robotic Program,[12] LRO was the first United States mission to the Moon in over ten years.[13] LRO and LCROSS were launched as part of the United States's Vision for Space Exploration program.

The probe has made a 3-D map of the Moon's surface at 100-meter resolution and 98.2% coverage (excluding polar areas in deep shadow),[14] including 0.5-meter resolution images of Apollo landing sites.[15][16] The first images from LRO were published on July 2, 2009, showing a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds).[17]

The total cost of the mission is reported as US$583 million, of which $504 million pertains to the main LRO probe and $79 million to the LCROSS satellite.[18] LRO has enough fuel to continue operations until at least 2026.[19]

  1. ^ a b c "LRO Mission Description". PDS Geosciences Node. Washington University in St. Louis. September 24, 2012 [2007]. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  2. ^ Hand, Eric (September 3, 2014). "NASA extends seven planetary missions". Science. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO): Leading NASA's Way Back to the Moon" (PDF). NASA. June 2009. NP-2009-05-98-MSFC. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "LRO Spacecraft Description". PDS Geosciences Node. Washington University in St. Louis. April 11, 2007. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  5. ^ Neal-Jones, Nancy (May 5, 2015). "NASA's LRO Moves Closer to the Lunar Surface". NASA. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  6. ^ Petro, N. E.; Keller, J. W. (2014). Five Years at the Moon With the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO): New Views of the Lunar Surface and Environment (PDF). Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group. October 22–24, 2014. Laurel, Maryland. Lunar and Planetary Institute.
  7. ^ "The Current Location of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". Arizona State University. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  8. ^ Steigerwald, Bill (April 16, 2009). "LRO to Help Astronauts Survive in Infinity". NASA. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  9. ^ "LRO Mission Overview". NASA. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  10. ^ Houghton, Martin B.; Tooley, Craig R.; Saylor, Richard S. (2006). Mission design and operation considerations for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (PDF). 57th International Astronautical Congress. October 2–6, 2006. Valencia, Spain. IAC-07-C1.7.06.
  11. ^ "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: Launch". Goddard Space Flight Center. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Brian. "Lunar Precursor Robotic Program: Overview & History". NASA. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  13. ^ Dunn, Marcia (June 18, 2009). "NASA launches unmanned Moon shot, first in decade". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 20, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  14. ^ "NASA Probe Beams Home Best Moon Map Ever". Space.com. November 18, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  15. ^ Phillips, Tony; Barry, Patrick L. (July 11, 2005). "Abandoned Spaceships". NASA. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  16. ^ "LRO Sees Apollo Landing Sites". LROC. NASA. July 17, 2009.
  17. ^ Garner, Robert, ed. (July 2, 2009). "LRO's First Moon Images". NASA. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  18. ^ Harwood, William (June 18, 2009). "Atlas 5 rocket launches NASA Moon mission". CNet.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  19. ^ Clark, Stephen (June 18, 2019). "10 years since its launch, NASA lunar orbiter remains crucial for moon landings". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved June 20, 2019.

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