The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) is a pioneering initiative dedicated to digitizing and restoring the original analog data tapes from the five Lunar Orbiter spacecraft that captured images of the Moon in the late 1960s. Funded by NASA, SkyCorp, SpaceRef Interactive, and private donors, the project aims to recover and enhance this vital archival footage, which was primarily utilized to identify landing sites for the Apollo missions. Since its inception, LOIRP has successfully recovered numerous images, including the first photograph of Earth taken from the Moon, released in 2008.

With advanced efforts to restore and reprocess the images, LOIRP continues to contribute significantly to lunar research, providing valuable insights into the Moon's geological changes over time. The project's team leverages specialized vintage Ampex tape drives and collaborates with aerospace experts, ensuring the preservation of these critical historical records for future generations and ongoing lunar exploration initiatives.