Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

The Moon continues to be a destination for scientific research, and it has become an international effort. Since the 1990s, the European Space Agency, Japan, India, China, and the U.S. have all sent probes to the Moon. In recent years, the U.S. has continued its photographic mapping of the Moon with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on June 18, 2009.

Artist illustration of the LRO in lunar orbit where it remains today performing science experiments. The spacecraft is not alone. In recent years, the European Space Agency, Japan, India, China, and Israel have also sent probes to the Moon. Image source: Chin, Gordon, et al. “Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Overview: The Instrument Suite and Mission.” Space Science Reviews, vol. 194, no. 4, 2007, pp. 391-419. 

LRO Photography

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), developed at Arizona State University, is a three-camera assembly aboard the LRO. It has two cameras for high-resolution images of the surface and one wide-angle camera.

The orbiter also contains science experiments, including a cosmic ray telescope, neutron detector, laser altimeter to create a 3-D map of the Moon, and radar to image polar regions in search of ice.

The central peak inside Tycho Crater photographed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image source: LROC image M162350671 in Keller, John W., et al. “The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission: Six Years of Science and Exploration at the Moon.” Icarus, vol. 273, pp. 2-24. View Source