---
title: "NASA’s Lunar Orbiter Could Assist Commercial Missions to the Moon"
description: "## Lunar Helper"
date: "2018-12-15"
modified: "2018-12-15"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-lro-lunar-orbiter-assist-commercial-missions"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Moon"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "lunar lander"
  - "Moon mission"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA’s Lunar Orbiter Could Assist Commercial Missions to the Moon

![NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that launched in 2009 could assist future commercial and international lunar landers.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/nasa-lro-lunar-orbiter-assist-commercial-missions.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Lunar Helper

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) [launched in 2009](<https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/images/history/June2009.html>). And it's still orbiting the Moon to this very day — almost ten years later.

And it still has a decent amount of fuel left in its tank — about 44 pounds (20 kilograms) worth according to LRO project scientist Noah Petro. "That may not seem like a lot, but we don't go through much fuel on an annual basis," he said at last month's Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) [meeting](<https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/leag2018/>), as [quoted](<https://spacenews.com/nasa-lunar-orbiter-now-supporting-commercial-and-international-missions/>) by *SpaceNews*. In fact that remaining fuel could be enough for the next seven years of operation, according to Petro.

## Moon Assistance

On November 29, NASA [announced](<https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-nine-companies-for-commercial-lunar-lander-program/>) it is planning to buy space on board commercial landers for future scientific missions.

NASA is also offering to use the LRO to assist those landers — and other international missions to the Moon as well.

For instance, it could help identify safe landing sites, and help out during landing. "We want to observe the plumes as the landers land and kick up dust and disturb the environment," says Barbara Cohen, LRO associate project scientist, at the announcement, as [quoted](<https://spacenews.com/nasa-lunar-orbiter-now-supporting-commercial-and-international-missions/>) by *SpaceNews*.

## Off to the Moon

And the LRO is already on standby. It will observe the landing of two upcoming (non-commercial) lunar landers: the Israeli SpaceIL lander, and India's Chandrayaan-2 lander, *SpaceNews* [reports](<https://spacenews.com/nasa-lunar-orbiter-now-supporting-commercial-and-international-missions/>). Both missions are slated to land on the Moon [early next year](<http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2018/0813-chandrayaan-2-launch-delayed.html>).

The move could build a lot of trust between the flourishing commercial, and international space exploration sector. But why China's space agency was absent from the discussions remains to be seen.

**READ MORE:** [NASA lunar orbiter now supporting commercial and international missions](<https://spacenews.com/nasa-lunar-orbiter-now-supporting-commercial-and-international-missions/>) \[SpaceNews\]

***More on lunar landers: [China to Land First-Ever Rover on Dark Side of the Moon](<https://futurism.com/china-change-4-far-side-of-the-moon-probe-rover>)***

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)