Lunar Precursor Robotic Program

The program gathers data such as lunar radiation, surface imaging, areas of scientific interest, temperature and lighting conditions, and potential resource identification.

The plume from the Centaur impact was predicted by NASA to be visible through telescopes with apertures as small as 10 to 12 inches (300 mm).

At that time, the Program's goal was to "...initiate a series of robotic missions to the Moon to prepare for and support future human exploration activities.

"[9] In 2005, responsibility for RLEP was moved to NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and management was assigned to the Ames Research Center (ARC).

The LRO launched on an Atlas V 401 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station[11] on June 18, 2009, at 5:32 p.m. EDT (2132 GMT).

[10] The LRO was scheduled to orbit the Moon for one year, gathering high-resolution images of the lunar surface that would allow the creation of detailed maps.

The mission will explore a permanently shadowed region of a lunar pole by crashing the 2,300 pounds (1,000 kg) spent Centaur rocket upper stage of the Atlas V launch vehicle into a dark crater.