 Illustration of LRO | |||||||||||||||||
| Mission type | Lunar orbiter | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA | ||||||||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2009-031A | ||||||||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 35315 | ||||||||||||||||
| Website | lunar | ||||||||||||||||
| Mission duration | |||||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | NASA / GSFC | ||||||||||||||||
| Launch mass | 1,916 kg (4,224 lb)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Dry mass | 1,018 kg (2,244 lb)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Payload mass | 92.6 kg (204 lb)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | Launch: 390 × 270 × 260 cm (152 × 108 × 103 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Power | 1850 W[4] | ||||||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||||||
| Launch date | June 18, 2009, 21:32:00 UTC | ||||||||||||||||
| Rocket | Atlas V 401 | ||||||||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | ||||||||||||||||
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance | ||||||||||||||||
| Entered service | September 15, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||||
| Reference system | Selenocentric | ||||||||||||||||
| Semi-major axis | 1,825 km (1,134 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Periselene altitude | 20 km (12 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Aposelene altitude | 165 km (103 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Epoch | May 4, 2015[5] | ||||||||||||||||
| Moon orbiter | |||||||||||||||||
| Orbital insertion | June 23, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
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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]
- ^ a b c "LRO Mission Description". PDS Geosciences Node. Washington University in St. Louis. September 24, 2012 [2007]. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ Hand, Eric (September 3, 2014). "NASA extends seven planetary missions". Science. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "LRO Spacecraft Description". PDS Geosciences Node. Washington University in St. Louis. April 11, 2007. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ Neal-Jones, Nancy (May 5, 2015). "NASA's LRO Moves Closer to the Lunar Surface". NASA. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Current Location of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". Arizona State University. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ^ Steigerwald, Bill (April 16, 2009). "LRO to Help Astronauts Survive in Infinity". NASA. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
- ^ "LRO Mission Overview". NASA. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: Launch". Goddard Space Flight Center. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ Mitchell, Brian. "Lunar Precursor Robotic Program: Overview & History". NASA. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "NASA Probe Beams Home Best Moon Map Ever". Space.com. November 18, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ^ Phillips, Tony; Barry, Patrick L. (July 11, 2005). "Abandoned Spaceships". NASA. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ "LRO Sees Apollo Landing Sites". LROC. NASA. July 17, 2009.
- ^ Garner, Robert, ed. (July 2, 2009). "LRO's First Moon Images". NASA. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (June 18, 2019). "10 years since its launch, NASA lunar orbiter remains crucial for moon landings". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved June 20, 2019.