The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an elliptical low-inclination orbit. LRO was launched on June 18, 2009, as part of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Discovery Program. The orbiter carries six instruments to map the lunar surface and search for potential resources and safe landing sites for future missions.
LROC consists of two Narrow Angle Cameras (NACs) and one Wide Angle Camera (WAC). The NACs take high resolution images (> 0.5 m/pixel) over a narrow field of view (< 1 degree), while the WAC takes lower resolution images (100 m/pixel) over a wide field of view (~60 degrees). Images from all three cameras are used to create mosaics which cover the entire lunar surface at resolutions ranging from meters to centimeters. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team is led by Arizona State University and includes principal investigators Peter Schultz, Mark Robinson, Greg Neumann, and Jeff Plescia. LRO data is archived and made available to the public through the Planetary Data System.