The teams announced that there are no major issues or concerns to hamper launch at this time.
Final spacecraft closeouts are underway at the launch pad and countdown dress rehearsal activities are planned for all day Thursday.
A Launch Readiness Review, or LRR, is scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. EDT. A prelaunch news conference will be held after the LRR and is planned for 1 p.m. EDT. The briefing will be broadcast live from the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on NASA TV.
Image above: Technicians completed connections between the LRO and LCROSS spacecraft and the Atlas V rocket at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Mission Overview
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Spacecraft will fly to the moon atop the same Atlas V rocket, although they will use vastly different methods to study the lunar environment. LRO will go into orbit around the moon, turning its suite of instruments towards the moon for thorough studies. The spacecraft also will be looking for potential landing sites for astronauts.
LCROSS, on the other hand, will guide an empty upper stage on a collision course with a permanently shaded crater in an effort to kick up evidence of water at the moon's poles. LCROSS itself will also impact the lunar surface during its course of study.
Liftoff currently is scheduled for June 17 at 3:51 p.m. EDT. There are two more launch opportunities that day at 4:01 p.m. and 4:11 p.m.
Additional Resources
› LRO Fact Sheet
› LRO/LCROSS Press Kit
› LRO/LCROSS Launch Coverage Events
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