NASA’s LRO Captures Blurred Images of South Korea’s Danuri Lunar Orbiter in High-Speed Passing

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) recently captured images of the Korean spacecraft, Danuri, flying past at high speed. The LRO pointed its camera down to take pictures of Danuri while flying about 5 km higher. The newly released black and white photos show Danuri as a blurred line cutting across the Moon’s surface.

The high relative speed between the two spacecraft, about 11,500 km/h, caused Danuri to appear blurred in the LRO’s cameras. However, despite the blurred images, these photographs provide valuable data for lunar research and exploration efforts.

Danuri, or KPLO, is a lunar orbiter operated by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. It tests technologies needed to reach and explore the Moon. Danuri measures magnetic forces, evaluates resources, and maps terrain to help select future landing sites. Launched in 2022, it orbits the Moon with an orbital period of about two hours.

NASA’s LRO launched in 2009 by NASA studies the Moon’s surface to answer basic questions about its origin and evolution. It orbits at an altitude of about 50 km above the lunar surface. The high-speed encounter between the LRO and Danuri required delicate timing by the operations team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.