Pictured is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a robotic spacecraft that has been orbiting the moon since 2009, collecting detailed information about the moon and its environment. Data obtained from LRO is essential for planning a return to the Moon. Credit: NASA/GSFC

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is an orbiting spacecraft that has studied the Moon in unprecedented detail since 2009, including the ways in which its surface has been altered in recent geologic times. Completing its fourth extended mission on September 30, 2022, the LRO has accomplished all its original science goals and will continue to perform science investigations as well as inform future Artemis missions as it begins its 5th extended mission in October 2022.