When is the next Moon launch?

[edge_of_reason]

Anything planned for robotic mission yet?<br /><br />Edge

 

[grooble]

I heard 2008

 

[radarredux]

From the LRO FAQ page: "<i>The planning date for LRO launch is October 15, 2008.</i>"<br /><br />http://centauri.larc.nasa.gov/lro/lroqanda.html<br />http://centauri.larc.nasa.gov/lro/<br />http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/missions.html

 

[nacnud]

What have the Indians got planed?

 

[wvbraun]

The esa's Smart 1 is orbiting the Moon right now (in case you didn't know).

 

[wvbraun]

The indians have plans for a launch in 2007 IIRC.

 

[ldyaidan]

Isn't SMART supposed to be doing some scans for water at the bottom of the craters? When are we supposed to get results from those scans? I thought we would have heard something by now. <br /><br />Rae

 

[shoogerbrugge]

What about the stargazer commerical mission, is it still on, or have they failed to get the needed funding? I remember they had a goal to launch on a dnepr in 2006, but heard really little news about them lately.<br /><br />Thanks in advance

 

[no_way]

SMART is still in the instrument calibration phase, the real data acquisition and science hasnt begun yet, even though some of the delivered data has been interesting already.<br />Like its recent discovery of calcium on the moon, by its x-ray spectrometer

 

[no_way]

Oh, and TransOrbital Trailblazer, a private lunar orbiter has been launching "Real Soon Now(TM)" for last couple of years.