Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter on:
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South Korean launch vehicle from the
Paul D. Spudis, ''Air and Space Magazine''. 26 September 2016.
for communication with landed assets.
* NASA's ShadowCam will map the reflectance within the permanently shadowed regions to search for evidence of water ice deposits.
The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), officially Danuri, is South Korea's first lunar mission. The orbiter, its science payload and ground control infrastructure are technology demonstrators. The orbiter will also be tasked with surveying
(KARI) Accessed on 25 January 2019
The Korean Lunar Exploration Program (KLEP) is divided in two phases. meant to develop and enhance South Korea's technological capabilities, as well as map natural resources from orbit. The key goals of the KPLO orbiter mission include investigation of lunar geology and space environment, exploration of lunar resources, and testing of future space technology which will assist in future human activities on the Moon and beyond.
Phase 2 will include a lunar orbiter, a lunar resources
An artificially colored mosaic constructed from a series of 53 images taken through three spectral filters by ''Galileo's'' imaging system as the spacecraft flew over the northern regions of the Moon on 7 December 1992. The colors indicate d ...
such as water ice Water ice may refer to:
*Ice formed by water (as opposed to other substances)
*In ice climbing, ice made from flowing water (as opposed to ice from precipitation)
*The alternate term for various similar frozen fruit-flavoured desserts:
** Italian ic ...
, uranium
Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...
, helium-3
Helium-3 (3He see also helion) is a light, stable isotope of helium with two protons and one neutron. (In contrast, the most common isotope, helium-4, has two protons and two neutrons.) Helium-3 and hydrogen-1 are the only stable nuclides with ...
, silicon
Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...
, and aluminium
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
, and produce a topographic map to help select future lunar landing sites.
The mission was launched on 4 August 2022 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle
A launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage ...
. It was inserted into orbit around the Moon on 16 December 2022 (UTC).
Name
On 23 May 2022, the South KoreanMinistry of Science and ICT
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT; ) is a ministry of the government of South Korea. It succeeded the former Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. "ICT" stands for "Information and Communication Technology".
The headquarters was origi ...
officially named the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (시험용 달 궤도선, 試驗用月軌道船) as "Danuri" (다누리). Danuri is a portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of two Korean words, ''dal'' (달) which means moon and ''nurida'' (누리다) which means enjoy. According to the ministry, this new name implies a big hope and desire for the success of South Korea's first Moon mission.
Overview
South Korea's space agency, calledKorea Aerospace Research Institute
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI; ), established in 1989, is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town. KARI's vision is to continue building upon in ...
(KARI), together with NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
produced a lunar orbiter feasibility study in July 2014. The two agencies signed an agreement in December 2016 where NASA will collaborate with one science instrument payload, telecommunications, navigation, and mission design.lunar lander
A lunar lander or Moon lander is a Lander (spacecraft), spacecraft designed to Moon landing, land on the surface of the Moon. As of 2024, the Apollo Lunar Module is the only lunar lander to have ever been used in human spaceflight, completing s ...
, and a 20 kg rover
Rover may refer to:
People Name
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Stage name
* Rover (musician), French singer-songw ...
, to be launched together on a KSLV-South Korean launch vehicle from the
Naro Space Center
The Naro Space Center is a South Korean spaceport in South Jeolla's Goheung, Goheung County, operated by the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
The spaceport is located about south of Seoul. It includes two launch pads, a contro ...
, by 2032.
Objectives
The main objectives of this mission are to enhance the South Korean technological capabilities on the ground and in outer space, and to "increase both the national brand value and national pride". The specific technological objectives are: * Development of critical technologies for lunar exploration. * Produce a topographic map for support to select future lunar landing sites, and to survey lunar resources such aswater ice Water ice may refer to:
*Ice formed by water (as opposed to other substances)
*In ice climbing, ice made from flowing water (as opposed to ice from precipitation)
*The alternate term for various similar frozen fruit-flavoured desserts:
** Italian ic ...
, uranium
Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...
, helium-3
Helium-3 (3He see also helion) is a light, stable isotope of helium with two protons and one neutron. (In contrast, the most common isotope, helium-4, has two protons and two neutrons.) Helium-3 and hydrogen-1 are the only stable nuclides with ...
, silicon
Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...
, and aluminium
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
.
* Development and validation of new space technologies.
From the lunar science perspective, understanding the water cycle on the Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
is critical to mapping and exploitation.South Korea's 2018 Lunar MissionPaul D. Spudis, ''Air and Space Magazine''. 26 September 2016.
Solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, the Stellar corona, corona. This Plasma (physics), plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy betwee ...
proton
A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , Hydron (chemistry), H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' (elementary charge). Its mass is slightly less than the mass of a neutron and approximately times the mass of an e ...
s can chemically reduce the abundant iron oxide
An iron oxide is a chemical compound composed of iron and oxygen. Several iron oxides are recognized. Often they are non-stoichiometric. Ferric oxyhydroxides are a related class of compounds, perhaps the best known of which is rust.
Iron ...
s present in the lunar soil, producing native metal iron (Fe0) and a hydroxyl
In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...
ion (OH−) that can readily capture a proton
A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , Hydron (chemistry), H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' (elementary charge). Its mass is slightly less than the mass of a neutron and approximately times the mass of an e ...
to form water (H2O). Hydroxyl and water molecules are thought to be transported throughout the lunar surface by mysterious unknown mechanisms, and they seem to accumulate at permanently shadowed areas that offer protection from heat and solar radiation.Space Internet
To test the experimental system of the “space Internet
The interplanetary Internet is a conceived computer network in space, consisting of a set of network nodes that can communicate with each other. These nodes are the planet's orbiters and landers, and the Earth ground stations. For exampl ...
”, Danuri successfully forwarded a number of photos taken, as well as several video files, including, BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...
’ “Dynamite” from outer space to Earth at Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT; ) is a ministry of the government of South Korea. It succeeded the former Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. "ICT" stands for "Information and Communication Technology".
The headquarters was origi ...
, Korea Aerospace Research Institute
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI; ), established in 1989, is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town. KARI's vision is to continue building upon in ...
(KARI), and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute () is a Korean government-funded research institution in Daedeok Science Town in Daejeon, South Korea.
Overview
Established in 1976, ETRI is a non-profit government-funded research instit ...
(ETRI) on 7 November 2022.
Science payload
KPLO carries six science instruments with a total mass of approximately . * Lunar Terrain Imager (LUTI) will take images of probable landing sites for the second stage lunar exploration mission and special target sites of the lunar surfaces with a high spatial resolution (<5 m). * Wide-Angle Polarimetric Camera (PolCam) will acquire the polarimetric images of the entire lunar surface except for the polar regions with medium spatial resolution in order to investigate the detailed characteristics oflunar regolith
Lunar regolith is the unconsolidated material found on the surface of the Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth d ...
.
* KPLO Magnetometer (KMAG) is a magnetometer
A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, ...
that will measure the magnetic strength of the lunar environment (up to ~100 km above the lunar surface) with ultra-sensitive magnetic sensors.
* KPLO Gamma Ray Spectrometer (KGRS) is a gamma-ray spectrometer
A gamma-ray spectrometer (GRS) is an instrument for measuring the distribution (or spectrum—see Gamma spectroscopy#Scintillation detectors, figure) of the intensity of gamma radiation versus the energy of each photon.
The study and analysis of ...
that will investigate the chemical composition of lunar surface materials within a gamma-ray energy range from 10 keV
In physics, an electronvolt (symbol eV), also written electron-volt and electron volt, is the measure of an amount of kinetic energy gained by a single electron accelerating through an electric potential difference of one volt in vacuum. When us ...
to 10 MeV, and map their spatial distribution.ShadowCam
ShadowCam is a hypersensitive optical camera designed to collect images of permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the Moon's poles. This allows ShadowCam to map the reflectance of these regions to search for evidence of ice deposits, observe seasonal changes, and measure the terrain inside the craters. The instrument is based on theLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric Polar orbit, polar mapping orbit. Data collected by LRO have been described as essential for planning NASA's future human and robotic ...
LROC narrow angle camera (NAC), but it is 200 times more sensitive to allow for capturing details within the permanently shadowed regions. ShadowCam was developed by scientists at Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
and Malin Space Science Systems
Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) is a San Diego, California-based private technology company that designs, develops, and operates instruments and technical equipment to fly on uncrewed spacecraft. MSSS is headed by chief scientist and CEO Mich ...
. The first released ShadowCam image showed the wall the and floor of Shackleton crater
Shackleton is an impact crater that lies at the lunar south pole. The peaks along the crater's rim are exposed to almost continual sunlight, while the interior is permanently shadowed crater, perpetually in shadow. The low-temperature interior of ...
.
Science objectives of the ShadowCam experiment:
; Map albedo patterns in PSRs and interpret their nature: ShadowCam will search for frost, ice, and lag deposits by mapping reflectance with resolution and signal-to-noise ratios comparable to LROC NAC images of illuminated terrain.
; Investigate the origin of anomalous radar signatures associated with some polar craters: ShadowCam will determine whether high-purity ice or rocky deposits are present inside PSRs.
; Document and interpret temporal changes of PSR albedo units: ShadowCam will search for seasonal changes in volatile abundance in PSRs by acquiring monthly observations.
; Provide hazard and trafficability information within PSRs for future landed elements: ShadowCam will provide optimal terrain information necessary for polar exploration.
; Map the morphology of PSRs to search for and characterize landforms that may be indicative of permafrost-like processes: ShadowCam will provide unprecedented images of PSR geomorphology at scales that enable detailed comparisons with terrain anywhere on the Moon.
Launch
Originally planned for a December 2018 launch, KPLO was placed into orbit by aFalcon 9
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on June 4, 2010, and the first commercial resupply mission to the Internat ...
launch vehicle on 4 August 2022. Because Danuri was launched as a dedicated Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on June 4, 2010, and the first commercial resupply mission to the Internat ...
mission, the payload along with Falcon 9's second stage was placed directly on an Earth escape trajectory and into heliocentric orbit
A heliocentric orbit (also called circumsolar orbit) is an orbit around the barycenter of the Solar System, which is usually located within or very near the surface of the Sun. All planets, comets, and asteroids in the Solar System, and the Sun ...
when the second stage reignited for a second engine startup or escape burn.
As KPLO uses ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) to transfer to a Moon orbit, it took the spacecraft about 135 days to reach the Moon, with a lunar-orbit insertion on 16 December 2022 (UTC). After insertion, the spacecraft will conduct a set of phasing-burns to reduce the orbit's eccentricity from elliptic to circular, reaching low-lunar orbit. This was a change of plan from the previous one, where the orbiter would have performed at least three highly elliptical orbits of Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
, each time increasing its velocity and altitude until it reaches escape velocity
In celestial mechanics, escape velocity or escape speed is the minimum speed needed for an object to escape from contact with or orbit of a primary body, assuming:
* Ballistic trajectory – no other forces are acting on the object, such as ...
, initiating a trans-lunar injection
A trans-lunar injection (TLI) is a propulsive maneuver, which is used to send a spacecraft to the Moon. Typical lunar transfer trajectories approximate Hohmann transfers, although low-energy transfers have also been used in some cases, as with ...
.
The spacecraft's main propulsion is from four 30-newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
People
* Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname
* ...
thrusters, and for attitude control
Spacecraft attitude control is the process of controlling the orientation of a spacecraft (vehicle or satellite) with respect to an inertial frame of reference or another entity such as the celestial sphere, certain fields, and nearby objects, ...
(orientation) it uses four 5-newton thrusters.
See also
*Exploration of the Moon
The physical exploration of the Moon began when ''Luna 2'', a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made a deliberate impact on the surface of the Moon on 14 September, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of lunar exploration had ...
* List of missions to the Moon
Missions to the Moon have been numerous and include some of the earliest space missions, conducting exploration of the Moon since 1959.
The first partially successful lunar mission was Luna 1 (January 1959), the first probe to leave Earth ...
* Lunar water
The search for the presence of lunar water has attracted considerable attention and motivated several recent lunar missions, largely because of water's usefulness in making long-term lunar habitation feasible.
The Moon is believed to be genera ...
* Naro Space Center
The Naro Space Center is a South Korean spaceport in South Jeolla's Goheung, Goheung County, operated by the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
The spaceport is located about south of Seoul. It includes two launch pads, a contro ...
* South Korean space program
The South Korean space program began in earnest in the 1980s when research on space development began. Korea Aerospace Research Institute was established in October 1989, and the Korea AeroSpace Administration was established in May 2024.
The me ...
References
External links
Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) official website, in English
Discovery Across Lunar Observations (DALO) official website for Danuri with data releases, in English
{{2022 in space Korean Lunar Exploration Program South Korean space probes Missions to the Moon SpaceX commercial payloads Space probes launched in 2022 2022 in South Korea Satellites orbiting the Moon