Which NASA spacecraft has orbited and mapped the Moon since 2009?

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has orbited and mapped the Moon since 2009.

LRO launched on June 18, 2009, together with the LCROSS mission. Its primary job was to survey the lunar surface, including the polar regions, and produce detailed maps useful for selecting safe landing sites and studying resources such as possible water ice.

The orbiter carries seven instruments, including the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter. Its data have revealed small surface changes, improved knowledge of lunar topography, and helped plan later robotic and crewed missions.

A common mix-up is GRAIL, which mapped the Moon’s gravity field rather than primarily photographing and surveying its surface. LADEE studied the lunar atmosphere, while Clementine was an earlier lunar-mapping mission launched in 1994.