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Planetary News: LRO and LCROSS (2009)

The Planetary Society follows the latest space news in our blog. Here, Ken Kremer updates us on the successful launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS.

BLOG: LRO & LCROSS: Launch!

At the absolute very last moment available in the window of today’s three launch opportunities, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS blasted off on board an Atlas V/ Centaur rocket at 5:32 PM EDT from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The duo of robotic spacecraft are the first steps in the return of the US to exploration of Earth’s moon. Together they will return a wealth of new scientific information in unprecedented detail.

Click to enlarge > LRO and LCROSS Launch! Trailing a column of fire, the Atlas V/Centaur carrying NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter & Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite hurtles off Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June18 at 5:32 PM EDT. Credit: NASA / Tom Farrar

Read more about the launch...

Check out Ken's earlier reports on LRO and LCROSS:
LRO & LCROSS Up-Close Tour
LRO & LCROSS Up Close Tour: Part 2, Hunting for Lunar Water
LRO & LCROSS Up Close Tour: Poised on Atlas V Rocket at Launch Complex 41
LRO & LCROSS: 1 Day Launch Delay
LRO & LCROSS: Ready to Roll to Pad 41