• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 2016

The satellite propulsion system provides the required thrust to insert a satellite into the desired orbit after separation from the launch vehicle and to control orbit inclination or compensate altitude loss due to drag after inserted into the desired orbit. The on-orbit performance of LEO satellite propulsion system according to operation mode was verified based on the results analysis for early on-orbit operation. The temperature trends of components and tubing were checked and the resultant trends were within the normal range as well.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.43-60
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• 2024

Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) is South Korea's first space exploration mission, developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. It aims to develop technologies for lunar exploration, explore lunar science, and test new technologies. KPLO was launched on August 5, 2022, by a Falcon-9 launch vehicle from cape canaveral space force station (CCSFS) in the United States and placed on a ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory. A total of four trajectory correction maneuvers were performed during the approximately 4.5-month trans-lunar cruise phase to reach the Moon. Starting with the first lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver on December 16, the spacecraft performed a total of three maneuvers before arriving at the lunar mission orbit, at an altitude of 100 kilometers, on December 27, 2022. After entering lunar orbit, the commissioning phase validated the operation of the mission mode, in which the payload is oriented toward the center of the Moon. After completing about one month of commissioning, normal mission operations began, and each payload successfully performed its planned mission. All of the spacecraft operations that KPLO performs from launch to normal operations were designed through the system operations design process. This includes operations that are automatically initiated post-separation from the launch vehicle, as well as those in lunar transfer orbit and lunar mission orbit. Key operational procedures such as the spacecraft's initial checkout, trajectory correction maneuvers, LOI, and commissioning were developed during the early operation preparation phase. These procedures were executed effectively during both the early and normal operation phases. The successful execution of these operations confirms the robust verification of the system operation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.319-326
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• 2013

This paper describes the orbital dynamics operation results for the launch and early operations phase (LEOP) of KOMPSAT-3, which was successfully launched on May 18, 2012. At the initial phase, operational orbit determination was carried out using ground tracking data and GPS navigation solution. And, both in-plane and out-of plane maneuvers were executed in order to change the orbit from the injection orbit to the mission orbit. In addition, the accuracy of precise orbit determination was indirectly evaluated by overlapping method using GPS raw data of KOMPSAT-3 and international GNSS service data from worldwide-distributed ground stations. Currently, KOMPSAT-3 is operated in pre-defined mission orbit, and its various kinds of orbit data are generated and distributed to support the normal mission operations.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.46-46
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• 2003

Since its launching on 21 December 1999, the KOrea Multi-Purpose SATellite-Ⅰ (KOMPSAT-Ⅰ) has been successfully operated by the Mission Control Element (MCE), which was developed by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). Most of the major functions of the MCE have been successfully demonstrated and verified during the three years of the mission life of the satellite. The Mission Analysis and Planning Subsystem (MAPS), which is one of the four subsystems in the MCE, played a key role in the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations as well as the on-orbit mission operations. This paper presents the operational performances of the various functions in MAPS. We show the performance and analysis of orbit determinations using ground-based tracking data and GPS navigation solutions. We present four instances of the orbit maneuvers that guided the spacecraft from injection orbit into the nominal on-orbit. We include the ground-based attitude determination using telemetry data and the attitude maneuvers for imaging mission. The event prediction, mission scheduling, and command planning functions in MAPS subsequently generate the spacecraft mission operations and command plan. The fuel accounting and the realtime ground track display also support the spacecraft mission operations. We also present the orbital evolutions during the three years of the mission life of the KOMPSAT-Ⅰ.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.140-152
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• 2005

In this paper, we present design features, implementation, and validation of a satellite simulator subsystem for the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-2 (KOMPSAT-2). The satellite simulator subsystem is implemented on a personal computer to minimize costs and trouble on embedding onboard flight software into the simulator. An object-oriented design methodology is employed to maximize software reusability. Also, instead of a high-cost commercial database, XML is used for the manipulation of spacecraft characteristics data, telecommand, telemetry, and simulation data. The KOMPSAT-2 satellite simulator subsystem is validated by various simulations for autonomous onboard launch and early orbit phase operations, anomaly operation, and science fine mode operation. It is also officially verified by successfully passing various tests such as the satellite simulator subsystem test, mission control element system integration test, interface test, site installation test, and acceptance test.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.377-386
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• 2015

DubaiSat-2 is the first satellite developed in Korea equipped with a hall-effect thruster. In this paper, the performance of the DubaiSat-2 hall-effect thruster is verified by analyzing the orbit information of DubaiSat-2. The preparation and performance of orbit operations during 8 months after launch (2013.11.21., UTC) is emphasized and the effects of solar activity on orbit evolution is analyzed. In particular, the hall-effect thruster's thrust is estimated by analyzing difference between observed orbit evolution and predicted orbit. As a result, the estimated thrust is similar to the ground experiment result of 11 mN. The summarized result in this paper would be important reference to improve the stability and effectiveness of satellite operation during the early operation and normal mission lifetime in case of low Earth orbit satellites.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.6-6
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• 2000

On-orbit thermal behavior of KOMPSAT (Korea Multi-purpose Satellite) propulsion system employing hydrazine (N$_2$H$_4$) liquid monopropellant is addressed. Thermal control performance to prevent propellant freezing in spacecraft-operational orbit was verified by flight telemetry data obtained during LEOP (Launch and Early Operation Phase). Results are depicted in terms of temperature history during several orbits selected and are compared with acceptable temperature ranges of system components. Cyclic behavior of temperature is reduced into duty cycles of the avionics heaters and subsequently converted into the electrical power required to keep away from propellant freezing. Temperature of each component which was achieved under on-ground thermal-balanced condition of spacecraft, is presented for comparison with the flight data, additionally.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.65-73
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• 2011

After launch, in order to inject the geostationary satellite into its operational orbit, the perigee altitude are forced to be raised to geostationary altitude by firing onboard LAE(Liquid Apogee Engine) at apogee of the transfer orbit. In this process, the LAE burn is divided into three or four separated burns in order to control the orbit very precisely by giving feedback the determined orbit informations and to inject the satellite in predefined longitude. This paper proposes an algorithm to determine LAE firing time slots and ${\Delta}V$ vectors under assumption of impulsive LAE burning, and additionally, a method to compensate errors induced by continuous burning. And computer simulations have been performed to validate proposed algorithms.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.195.1-195.1
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• 2012

Korea Aerospace Research Institute has developed an earth observation satellite whose primary mission objective is to provide high resolution electro optical earth images for Geographical Information Systems (GIS) establishment and the applications for environmental, agriculture and ocean monitoring. It was successfully launched into its mission orbit by using a commercial launch vehicle on 18th of May, 2012. This paper describes a series of launch activity at the launch site including its transportation to the launch site. Before conducting the launch site operation, satellite operation plane was prepared. Combining the satellite operation plan and launch vehicle activities, an integrated launch site operation plan and schedule have been drawn up. After arrival of the spacecraft at the launch site, post-ship check out has been conducted. And then it was fuel loaded and integrated with launch vehicle hardware. After completion of final electrical check out, count down procedure was executed. on 18th of May, it was launched into the space and was separated from the launch vehicle as planned. About 3 months of early operation and calibration/validation, now the satellite is conducting its normal mission.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.629-635
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• 2012

This paper presents a performance analysis of the GPS(Global Positioning System) receiver on board in LEO satellites, based on the comparison of its in-orbit performances and corresponding ground test results. An extensive ground tests on the subject GPS receiver has been performed in diverse conditions under the right frame of ground test environments and the analysis of in-orbit performances has also been performed with the huge amount of accumulated GPS data which has been in operation for 6 years since its launch on 2006. For this analysis, we chose three sets of in-orbit data; the data during the early mission period, the data at the 3-year mission completion time, and the most recent in-orbit data. As the performance measures, we selected the position and time synchronization accuracy, and the comparative analysis shows the concurrency between the in-orbit performances and the ground test results with in these performance measures, verifying the validity of the ground test. It is expected that the test configuration and analysis method presented in this paper can be applied to developing and verifying the future Koreanized satellite GPS receivers.