| Names | LEO |
|---|---|
| Operator | German Aerospace Center |
| Mission duration | 4 years (proposed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | ~650 kg (1,430 lb) including sub satellite |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2012 (proposed) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Selenocentric |
| Periselene altitude | 50 km (31 mi) |
| Epoch | planned |
LEO (Lunarer Erkundungsorbiter; English: Lunar Exploration Orbiter) was the name of a proposed German mission to the Moon, announced by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Director Walter Doellinger on March 2, 2007. Because the needed money for the year 2009 was diverted elsewhere, the start of the project was delayed indefinitely.[1]
Precise characteristics of the mission were announced in early 2008, and estimated costs were projected to be ca. €350 million (~$514 million) over five years. The mission would involve a lunar orbiter that DLR intended to build and launch in 2012 to map the lunar surface. It would be the first German mission to the Moon and the first European mission to the Moon since SMART-1.
Numerous leading German planetologists, among them Gerhard Neukum, Ralf Jaumann and Tilman Spohn, have condemned the indefinite postponement and argue for resuming the LEO-project.[2]