The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program is a NASA program that uses robotic spacecraft to prepare for future crewed missions to the Moon. The program gathers data such as lunar radiation, surface imaging,
The Atlas V-Centaur rocket carrying the LRO and LCROSS just after takeoff.
LCROSS
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The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. The mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen detected at the polar
Lunar Precursor Robotic Program
…potential resource identification. Two LPRP missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), were launched in June 2009. The lift-off above Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 18, 2009, was successful. The uncrewed Atlas V…
LCROSS spacecraft, artist's rendering
The flash from the LCROSS Centaur impact.
An illustration of the LCROSS Centaur rocket stage and Shepherding Spacecraft as they approach impact with the lunar south pole on October 9, 2009.
LRO (top, silver) and LCROSS (bottom, gold) prepared for fairing