LADEE
LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) was launched on September 7, 2013, from NASA Wallops Flight Facility aboard a Minotaur V rocket. Orbiting just 20 to 60 km above the lunar surface, its neutral mass spectrometer, ultraviolet spectrometer, and dust counter characterized the tenuous lunar exospheric gases (helium, argon, neon) and investigated electrostatic dust levitation. It also demonstrated the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD), achieving record 622 Mbps downloads from lunar orbit before crashing into Sundman V crater on April 18, 2014.
Mission Imagery & Gallery
Primary Achievement
Analyzed tenuous lunar exosphere and electrostatically lofted dust; demonstrated high-speed optical laser space communications (622 Mbps).
Mission Objectives
- Determine global density, composition, and temporal variability of the fragile lunar atmosphere
- Measure dust size, charge, and density to verify if dust levitation causes lunar horizon glow
- Demonstrate high-rate space laser communications via pulsed infrared beam to Earth stations
Timeline Events
- 2013-09-07 — Launched from Wallops Island MARS Pad 0B aboard maiden flight of Minotaur V.
- 2013-10-06 — Entered lunar orbit; achieved record 622 Mbps laser communication download to Earth.
- 2013-11-20 — Lowered orbit to 20-60 km science orbit to sample exosphere and dust levitation.
- 2014-04-18 — Impacted the eastern rim of Sundman V crater on the lunar far side at 04:30 UTC.
Related Missions
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) (2009) · NASA
- GRAIL (Ebb & Flow) (2011) · NASA
- Chang'e 3 (2013) · China
Historical & Technical Sources
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