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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA's Moon-mapping orbiter, at the Moon since June 2009, the longest-lived lunar orbiter. Its maps and images are used to choose landing sites for Artemis.

NASA·Moon Orbit·Launched 18 June 2009·Active
—days —h —m —s in space
Distance from Earth
395,706 km
0.002645 AU
Distance from Sun
147.82 M km
0.988102 AU
Speed
107,640 km/h
29.9 km/s
Signal Delay
1.3s
one way

The Moon in Ultra-High Definition

LRO has orbited the Moon since 23 June 2009, longer than any other lunar orbiter. Its cameras can pick out objects about half a metre across, enough to show the Apollo descent stages, experiments and even the astronauts' tracks, and it has produced the most detailed maps of the Moon ever made.

Scouting for Artemis

LRO's data underpins NASA's Artemis plans. It has mapped the coldest, permanently shadowed craters near the poles where water ice can survive, surveyed landing sites and measured the radiation that astronauts will face. In October 2009 it watched the LCROSS impact that confirmed water in the crater Cabeus.

Mission Timeline

18 June 2009
Launch on an Atlas V with LCROSS
23 June 2009
Enters orbit around the Moon
17 July 2009
First images of the Apollo landing sites released
9 October 2009
Observes the LCROSS impact that revealed water in Cabeus crater
January 2019
Photographs China's Chang'e 4 lander on the far side

Key Data

MissionLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
AgencyNASA
StatusActive
TargetMoon Orbit
Launch date18 June 2009

Questions people ask

LRO is in orbit around the Moon, about 395,706 km from Earth, so its radio signals reach us in just over a second.
Yes. Its cameras have photographed all six Apollo landing sites, showing the descent stages, equipment and even the astronauts' tracks.
Since 23 June 2009, longer than any other lunar orbiter. It has mapped the whole Moon, measured its temperatures and helped choose landing sites for Artemis.

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