NASA has successfully launched two spacecraft on an exploration mission to the moon which will enable mission planners to select future landings and scout for lunar outposts. The LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) and a crater observation mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The robotic mission will remain in space for one year at an altitude of around 50 kilometres above the moon.

Besides mapping the surface in detail, the lunar probes will provide more insights into the mineral composition of the moon, global temperatures and lighting conditions. It will also conduct exploration for evidence of water ice. The radiation environment will also be charted to determine the risks that astronauts may be exposed to.

The US space agency is hoping to send astronauts back to the moon in 2020. Next month will mark the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's first landing on the moon. The last manned lunar expedition was in 1972.

Moon by SWP Moblog (Flickr)