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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

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Science ExplorationcislunarCOSPAR 2009-031ALaunched 6/18/2009
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Mission & Launch
Launch Mission
LRO/LCROSS
Launch Vehicle
Atlas V 401
Launch Date
6/18/2009
Orbit & Mass
Orbit Class
cislunar
Altitude
176,947 km
Inclination
28.2 deg
Dry Mass
1,018 kg
Total Mass
1,916 kg
Payload Classification
Mission Type
Science Exploration
Payload Category
PLAN
Payload Class
C
Organizations
Operator
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Manufacturer
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Registry
COSPAR ID
2009-031A
UN Registration
ST/SG/SER.E/573
Track
Mentions
56
All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.
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Actions

Intuitive Machines is the prime contractor for operations of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

RelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.2May 23, 2026NASA affida a Intuitive Machines la gestione LROC
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On May 18, 2026, Intuitive Machines was selected as the prime contractor for operations of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) and KARI’s ShadowCam instrument.

RelationshipsGeneralValue 4.0May 19, 2026Intuitive Machines Secures Prime Contracts to Operate Key NASA and KARI Lunar Imaging Instruments

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched in 2009.

PlanGeneralValue 3.5Apr 20, 2026Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has generated over 1.6 petabytes of lunar data.

CapabilityValue 3.0Apr 20, 2026Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has provided global coverage of the Moon across varying seasons and lighting conditions.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Apr 20, 2026Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has flown in polar and near-polar orbits within 100 kilometers of the lunar surface for more than 15 years.

CapabilityValue 4.2Apr 20, 2026Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?

NASA uses Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaging and topographic observations to assess the scientific value and engineering feasibility of candidate Artemis landing sites.

CapabilityValue 3.5Apr 20, 2026Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's Narrow Angle Camera can produce imagery at 0.5 meters per pixel.

CapabilityValue 4.5Apr 20, 2026Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?

The US Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has confirmed accumulated water ice within permanently shadowed regions near the lunar south pole.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Apr 13, 2026Strategic celestography and lunar competition: Artemis, CLEP, and the struggle for positional advantage

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter provided imagery and data that were extensively used to plan the Artemis II lunar flyby.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Apr 13, 2026Artemis II astronauts gazed at our Moon with joy, curiosity, and reverence. Through finer robotic orbital views, so can you.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team is using the Artemis II crew’s location sketches to search for fresh impact sites.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Apr 8, 2026Artemis 2 crew captures rare lunar science as Orion splashdown target time announced

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured prior robotic imagery of crater chains northwest of Orientale.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Apr 6, 2026Why haven’t humans gone back to the Moon no longer a valid question thanks to NASA Artemis II lunar flyby

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is nearing end of life.

GeneralValue 2.0Mar 20, 2026Firefly Lights the Way to Lunar Data Services

The Rimae Bode analysis used imaging and thermal data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Mar 11, 2026Where and When Will China Land Taikonauts on the Moon?

The findings aid interpretation of remote sensing data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LRO-LAMP).

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Mar 5, 2026Lunar dust study links space weathering to changes in Moon ultraviolet brightness

The team validated their temperature simulations against measurements from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Diviner instrument and previous detections of surface water ice from India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.

CapabilityValue 4.0Mar 1, 2026Scientists Publish Model of Potential Lunar Water Ice Locations Ahead of Chang'e 7 Mission

The research team used high-resolution terrain data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to produce their thermal stability model for Shackleton Crater.

GeneralCapabilityValue 3.5Mar 1, 2026Scientists Publish Model of Potential Lunar Water Ice Locations Ahead of Chang'e 7 Mission

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) consists of multiple cameras including wide angle and narrow angle instruments.

CapabilityValue 3.0Feb 10, 2026First Crewed Moon Flyby In 54 Years: Artemis II

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter flies within 100 kilometers of the Moon’s surface.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Feb 9, 2026Moon Monday #261: A shortfall in Artemis II testing and NASA’s communications

The findings assist researchers in interpreting remote sensing data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project, which has been observing the Moon since 2009.

CapabilityGeneralValue 2.5Dec 15, 2025Lunar dust study links space weathering to changes in Moon ultraviolet brightness