NASA extends contract for lunar reconnaissance orbiter camera instrument

NASA has extended Phase E of the contract with Arizona State University (ASU), Ariz., for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) instrument aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft. This cost-no-fee extension is for the amount of $11,368,735 and will be for a period of approximately two years, from March 1, 2011 through March 15, 2013.

Under this contract extension, ASU will continue to carry out the flight operations and science analyses of the LROC, including, spacecraft operations planning, scheduling, and engineering parameter review and trending, as well as the science operations, which includes initiating all target requests to the instrument, planning all instrument modes and turn-ons, data dissemination to the co-investigators and to the general scientific community through the Planetary Data System.

The original contract for the LROC instrument was awarded to ASU on March 30, 2005, for the Phases A through E effort, and is due to expire on February 28, 2011.