Launch of moon-exploring LRO delayed by military spaceplane

By William Atkins
Monday, 18 August 2008 19:06

Science - Space

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the first mission for NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration, will be delayed from December 2008 to February 2009 after its launch date is switched with an Air Force reusable unmanned experimental spaceplane.


The robotic LRO was scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral (Florida) in early December aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

According to Space.com, NASA spokesperson Nancy Jones stated,  “Because of high demand for Atlas 5 launches for the next 12 months, NASA has agreed to a request to exchange launch dates with another mission, allowing that mission to launch earlier.” [Space.com: “NASA Moon Probe Launch Delayed for Military Payload”]

It was also reported by Space.com that NASA had been advised for quite some time that such a delay was possible due to a heavy launch schedule at the end of 2008.

The new launch date will allow the mission team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, Maryland) to finish "environmental testing" on the lunar orbiter. In addition, "vibrational testing" is nearly complete for the LRO.

Upon completion, the spacecraft will be prepared for "functional testing"; specifically, "acoustic, electromagnetic and thermal vacuum testing" through October 2008.

Additional launch windows are also possible with the new launch date in 2009.

Specifically, the December 2008 launch date had eight launch days in a 30 day launch window, according to SpaceflightNow.com, due to various trajectory requirements of the mission.

The new February/March 2009 launch window gives the LRO mission 18 launch days, which was the number originally intended for the mission. [SpaceflightNow.com: “Lunar mapper and military vehicle swap launch slots”]

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