Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a man-made spacecraft represented in the Solar System, the region of space around the Sun, our star, within the universe. Its catalogue reference body is Moon. Explore its story and purpose, then find the spacecraft on the interactive 3D space map.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter — Maps the Moon and gathers information for lunar science and exploration.

Mission and scientific objectives
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is associated with NASA. Maps the Moon and gathers information for lunar science and exploration. The mission type is Lunar orbiter.

NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) is paving the way for human and robotic exploration of the Moon.

LRO has been studying the Moon from up close since 2009, making it the longest-lived lunar orbiting mission ever. The orbiter has mapped the Moon’s surface and measured its temperature, composition, and radiation environment in unprecedented detail. Data from LRO enables NASA, and our international and commercial partners, to select locations on the lunar surface where spacecraft and astronauts can safely land. The orbiter is also helping NASA identify areas near the Moon’s South Pole with crucial resources like water and extended sunlight, which provides power for equipment and supports exploration activities.

Light and Shadow Near the Moon's South Pole

The pattern of low-angle sunlight and shadows near the Moon's poles is unlike anywhere else on the lunar surface — or on Earth. This visualization, created using LRO data, shows the movement of shadows near the Lunar South Pole over the course of two lunar days (approximately two Earth months).

Mapping the Moon in Three Dimensions

One of LRO's seven science instruments, LOLA (the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter), measures the Moon's elevation profile. This color-coded image is based on LOLA data gathered near the Moon's South Pole. Red coloring indicates high-altitude parts of the landscape, and blue indicates lower-altitude areas. Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

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