Which NASA mission launched in 2009 to create detailed global maps of the Moon’s surface?

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launched in 2009 to create detailed global maps of the Moon’s surface.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, commonly called LRO, lifted off on June 18, 2009, aboard an Atlas V rocket. It entered lunar orbit several days later and began collecting high-resolution images and measurements of the Moon.

Its cameras have photographed landing sites, boulders, craters, permanently shadowed polar regions, and hardware left behind by Apollo astronauts. Other instruments measure lunar topography, temperature, radiation, and the distribution of water-related materials. These observations help scientists identify safe landing locations and plan future robotic and crewed missions.

LRO is distinct from GRAIL, which mapped the Moon’s gravity using two formation-flying spacecraft, and Lunar Prospector, which studied lunar composition and magnetic fields in the late 1990s. LRO’s defining contribution is its exceptionally detailed, continuing survey of the lunar surface.