Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

Sept. 6, 2023

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) recently captured the image of India's Chandrayaan-3 lander.

About Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO):

  • It is a NASA spacecraft that was launched on June 18, 2009.
  • Primary Objective: To make a 3D map of the Moon's surface from lunar polar orbit.
  • It has also been used to study the Moon's geology, mineralogy, and environment.
  • It orbits the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit.
  • LRO is equipped with 7 science instruments, the most well-known of which is a 195-millimeter (7.7-inch) telescope and camera system that can see details up to 2.5 meters across. 
  • LRO is equipped with a laser altimeter that produces 3D maps by shooting lasers at the surface and measuring reflection times. 
  • The spacecraft also carries two instruments suited to peering into dark craters to search for signs of water ice and a temperature instrument that led to the discovery of the coldest place in the solar system.

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