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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - Wikipedia

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 iden...

LRO/LCROSS

Overview

Destination: Lunar Orbit
Mission: Planetary Science

Lunar Orbit Space Launch Complex 41 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

LRO is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA. Used to map the moon to identify safe landing sites, locating potential resources, characterizing the radiation environment and demonstrating new technologies. The LCROSS is the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, also for NASA. A low cost satellite in order to confirm the existance of water in the southern lunar crater, Cabeus.

Atlas V 401

Family:
Configuration: 401

An Atlas V with a 4 meter diameter fairing, no boosters and a single centaur upper stage engine.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    58.3 m
  • Diameter
    3.8 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    4.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    590.0 T
  • Thrust
    3827.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Atlas V 401
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    401
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Atlas V 401
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $115000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    9050.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    4950.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    6670.0 kg

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

(ULA)

CEO: Mark Peller Founded: 2006 Successes: 175 Failures: 0 Pending: 72

Agency Type:

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.

INFO WIKI
NASA

APOD: 2026 October 10 – Lunar Farside

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 10… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinatin…

NASA

APOD: 2026 September 23 – A New Lunar Crater: McGetchin

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 23 – A… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fasc…

NASASpaceflight

LRO discovers large new lunar crater, finds interesting thermal emission phenomenon

Using NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a team of scientists has discovered the largest, newly formed… The post LRO discovers large new lunar crater, finds interesting thermal emission phenomenon appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

NASA

NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots New, ‘Once-in-Century’ Moon Crater

It started as a routine data-quality check. But as Robert Wagner, a scientist with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scanned a giant Moon map on his computer screen, an unusually large bright spot circled by a dark halo caught his…

NASASpaceflight

Scientists investigate moonquakes using Apollo 17 samples, LRO observations

While Earth and Mars are known for their intense surface quakes, other terrestrial bodies in… The post Scientists investigate moonquakes using Apollo 17 samples, LRO observations appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 41


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 9 hours ago
USSF-481
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bu…


Zhuque-2E Block 2
Success
2 days, 22 hours ago
10 satellites
Launch Area 96A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Ride-share of 10 satellites to sun-synchronous orbit, including: * Guangchuan-03 & 04 (LT-03/04) from LandSpace's subsidiary LandTower for testing…


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 23 hours ago
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-35
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

35th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 9 hours ago
Starlink Group 15-25
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Tranche 1 Transport Layer A is one of six missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Sp…


Long March 12
Success
1 week ago
SatNet LEO Group 27
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Nuri
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
NeonSat-2 to 6
LC-2 - Naro Space Center, South Korea

NeonSat-2 to 6 are part of the South Korean government's Earth observation micro-satellite constellation NeonSat (New-space Earth Observation Satelli…


Falcon Heavy
Success
2 weeks, 1 day ago
NROL-97
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office.


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Transporter 18 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Crew-13
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

SpaceX Crew-13 is the thirteenth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercia…