Shocking Discovery: NASA’s LRO Captures Rare Image of Mysterious Spacecraft Racing at 11,500 KM/H Beyond the Moon – Here’s What We Learned!

In an exciting event, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) recently spotted South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter in a rare moment as they flew past each other in lunar orbit. This interesting alignment happened between March 5 and 6, 2024, with both spacecraft traveling in nearly parallel paths but heading in opposite directions.

The images taken by LRO reveal just how precise the timing needed to be for this shot. The two spacecraft were moving at a relative speed of 11,500 kilometers per hour (about 7,200 mph). This meant LRO had only a split second to capture Danuri within its camera’s view.

LRO has been orbiting the Moon since June 2009, flying at about 80 kilometers (50 miles) above the surface. Meanwhile, Danuri was about 8 kilometers (5 miles) beneath LRO. To get this challenging shot, LRO’s camera had to use an ultra-short exposure time of just 0.338 milliseconds. Unfortunately, the fast motion caused Danuri to look stretched and elongated in the images—nearly ten times its actual size!

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), a high-resolution camera designed by Arizona State University, was responsible for capturing these images. Mark Robinson, the principal investigator for LROC, emphasized the need for precise timing and aim for this remarkable feat.

Danuri, or the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), is South Korea’s first mission to the Moon. It launched in December 2022 after a four-month journey. The mission’s goal is to map the Moon’s surface and look for potential water-ice in shadowy craters at the lunar poles. Danuri carries a special NASA tool called ShadowCam, which is 200 times more sensitive than LRO’s camera. In April 2023, Danuri turned its ShadowCam toward LRO and captured images of the spacecraft as it passed about 18 kilometers (11 miles) above it.

Taking images of fast-moving spacecraft is no small feat. The successful imaging of LRO and Danuri demonstrates the hard work of NASA engineers. During one imaging attempt, LRO tilted 43 degrees downward to align its camera with Danuri’s path. For the next pass, LRO got even closer—just 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away—requiring even more precision. However, NASA acknowledged that despite these efforts, the final images showed some motion blur due to the high speeds involved.

This encounter underscores the increasing number of international missions aimed at exploring the Moon. Countries like the United States, South Korea, India, China, and Japan, along with private companies, are investing in lunar exploration. NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to return humans to the Moon, will benefit from detailed lunar maps created by missions like LRO and Danuri. South Korea also has plans to deploy a lunar lander by the early 2030s.

What once seemed like rare occurrences—flybys between spacecraft—are likely to become more routine as more robotic and human missions join the growing fleet around the Moon.