( CNN ) -- NASA engineers fixed a glitch that threatened to derail a space probe on its way to the moon , the space agency said . The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer suffered a `` reaction wheel issue '' soon after it was launched on top of a 90-foot rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport , at NASA 's Wallops Flight Facility , Virginia , on Friday , NASA said . `` The reaction wheel issue noted soon after launch was resolved a few hours later , '' said S. Pete Worden , director of NASA 's Ames Research Center . `` The LADEE spacecraft is healthy and communicating with mission operators . '' LADEE is designed to `` orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere , conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust , '' NASA said . `` A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns , and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well , '' NASA said . The probe is expected to reach the moon on October 6 . After orbiting for six months , it will plunge to the lunar surface to end its mission . Earth 's distance from the moon averages about 239,000 miles and varies depending on the moon 's position , the space agency says .
LADEE suffered a `` reaction wheel issue '' soon after it was launched Friday . The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer is `` healthy '' and issue resolved , NASA says . TL;DR A U.S. space probe has detected the first evidence of water on Mars. It will study the lunar atmosphere and environmental influences on lunar dust .