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United Launch AllianceAtlas V 401Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
LRO/LCROSS
Launched
June 18, 2009 · 21:32 UTC
Summary
LRO/LCROSS launched on an United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on June 18, 2009 at 21:32 UTC. It was United Launch Alliance's 29th launch, 7th this year and humanity's 4,987th orbital launch attempt. It was the 7th Atlas V 401 flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Lunar Orbit (LO). 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- Vehicle
- Atlas V 401 · United Launch Alliance
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Planetary Science · Lunar Orbit (LO)
- Milestone
- 7th Atlas V 401 flight · 1st this yearUnited Launch Alliance's 29th launch7th this yearhumanity's 4,987th orbital launch attempt33rd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter · NORAD 35315 · left Earth orbit June 19, 2009
- LCROSS Shepherding S/C · NORAD 35316 · left Earth orbit June 19, 2009
LCROSS EDUS · left Earth orbit June 19, 2009
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
LRO is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA. Used to map the moon to identify safe landing sites, locating potential resources, characterizing the radiation environment and demonstrating new technologies. The LCROSS is the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, also for NASA. A low cost satellite in order to confirm the existance of water in the southern lunar crater, Cabeus.
News
APOD: 2026 October 10 – Lunar FarsideAPOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 10… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Lunar Farside Explanation: Tidally […]
APOD: 2026 September 23 – A New Lunar Crater: McGetchinAPOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 23 – A… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. AfterBefore A […]
LRO discovers large new lunar crater, finds interesting thermal emission phenomenonUsing NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a team of scientists has discovered the largest, newly formed…
NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots New, ‘Once-in-Century’ Moon CraterIt started as a routine data-quality check. But as Robert Wagner, a scientist with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scanned a giant Moon map on his computer screen, an unusually large bright spot circled by a dark halo caught his eye, as it implied that surface material in that area had been shaken up. “I […]
NASA’s LRO Images Falcon 9 Crater on Moon, Learns New DetailsBetween Aug. 11 and 12, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured a series of images of a new crater on the Moon. The crater formed on Aug. 5, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacted the surface following its January 2025 launch of the Firefly Blue Ghost 1 mission. To capture imagery of the […]
Pad
Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
42nd launch from Space Launch Complex 41, 2nd this year · 662nd from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Local pad time at liftoff: Jun 18, 5:32 PM EDT, in daylight
125 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
75 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did LRO/LCROSS launch?
LRO/LCROSS launched on June 18, 2009 at 21:32 UTC.
Where can I watch LRO/LCROSS?
Coverage: LRO\LCROSS launch 06 18 09. Watch the replay
What rocket launched LRO/LCROSS?
Atlas V 401, flown by United Launch Alliance. Atlas V 401 spec sheet
Where did LRO/LCROSS launch from?
Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA. Liftoff was Jun 18, 5:32 PM EDT local time at the pad.
What orbit was LRO/LCROSS going to?
Lunar Orbit (LO), a planetary science mission.
How many satellites did LRO/LCROSS launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).