Pick up to 4 missions to compare side-by-side. State lives in the URL — share the link and the comparison loads exactly as you left it.
Six nations have placed lunar orbiters since 2007 — a 4× increase in 15 years.
| Attribute | 🇺🇸 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)Active · Last updated 2026-06-01 Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | NASA | NASA | CNSA |
| Status | Active | Mission Complete | Deorbited |
| Mission type | Orbiter | Orbiter | Orbiter |
| Launch date | 2009-06-18 | 2013-09-06 | 2007-10-24 |
| End date | Active | 2014-04-17 | 2009-03-01 |
| Orbit | Polar low lunar orbit ~50 km (average) | Low equatorial orbit ~50 km (primary); final phase 2-5 km altitude | 200 km circular polar orbit |
| Mass | 1,916 kgas of [1]Includes Diviner, LOLA, LROC, MiniRF, LAMP, LEND, CRaTER instruments | 383 kgas of [1] | 2,350 kgas of [1] ↑ Heaviest |
| Instruments | 7 instrumentsas of [1] | 3 science instruments + 1 tech demoas of [1] ↑ Most instruments | 8 instrumentsas of [1] |
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| Outcome | NASA's comprehensive lunar scout, now 16+ years in orbit. LRO has produced the most detailed maps of the lunar surface ever made, identified water-ice at the poles, and characterized the radiation environment for future crewed missions. Its LROC camera system imaged the Apollo landing sites, Chinese Chang'e landers, and recent commercial missions including IM-1 Odysseus. | NASA Discovery-class orbiter that characterized the tenuous lunar atmosphere (exosphere) and dust environment. LADEE's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration achieved 622 Mbps download from lunar orbit — a record at the time. Controlled impact on the lunar far side on 17 April 2014. | China's first lunar mission and the first spacecraft of the Chang'e programme. Operated for 16 months in lunar orbit, producing a complete 3D map of the Moon. Controlled impact on the lunar near-side on 1 March 2009. Demonstrated China's deep-space navigation and communications capability. |
All 11 lunar orbital missions with primary-source citations from NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, CNSA, and NASA NSSDCA. Coverage spans Clementine (1994) through LRO (active 2026). Pure URL state — bookmark or share the link and the comparison reproduces exactly.