• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.73.2-73.2
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• 2008

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.117.2-117.2
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• 2009

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.56.5-57
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• 2009

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.52.2-52.2
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• 2005

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2013

ARGO-M is a satellite laser ranging (SLR) system developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute with the consideration of mobility and daytime and nighttime satellite observation. The ARGO-M optical system consists of 40 cm receiving telescope, 10 cm transmitting telescope, and detecting optics. For the development of ARGO-M optical system, the structural analysis was performed with regard to the optics and optomechanics design and the optical components. To ensure the optical performance, the quality was tested at the level of parts using the laser interferometer and ultra-high-precision measuring instruments. The assembly and alignment of ARGO-M optical system were conducted at an auto-collimation facility. As the transmission and reception are separated in the ARGO-M optical system, the pointing alignment between the transmitting telescope and receiving telescope is critical for precise target pointing. Thus, the alignment using the ground target and the radiant point observation of transmitting laser beam was carried out, and the lines of sight for the two telescopes were aligned within the required pointing precision. This paper describes the design, structural analysis, manufacture and assembly of parts, and entire process related with the alignment for the ARGO-M optical system.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.105-115
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• 2020

The Korean Institute of Technology Satellite (KITSAT-1) is the first satellite developed by the Satellite Technology Research Center and the University of Surrey. KITSAT-1 is orbiting the Earth's orbit as space debris with a 1,320 km altitude after the planned mission. Due to its relatively small size and altitude, tracking the KITSAT-1 was a difficult task. In this research, we analyzed the tracking results of KITSAT-1 for one year using the Midland Space Radar (MSR) in Texas and the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) in Alaska operated by LeoLabs, Inc. The tracking results were analyzed on a weekly basis for MSR and PFISR. The observation was conducted by using both stations at an average frequency of 10 times per week. The overall corrected range measurements for MSR and PFISR by LeoLabs were under 50 m and 25 m, respectively. The ionospheric delay, the dominant error source, was confirmed with the International Reference of Ionosphere-16 model and Global Navigation Satellite System data. The weekly basis orbit determination results were compared with two-line element data. The comparison results were used to confirm the orbital consistency of the estimated orbits.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2011

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute has been developing one mobile and one stationary satellite laser ranging system for the space geodesy research and precise orbit determination since 2008, which are called as ARGO-M and ARGO-F, respectively. They will be capable of daytime laser ranging as well as nighttime and provide the accurate range measurements with millimeter level precision. Laser ranging accuracy is mostly dependent on the optics and optoelectronic system which consists of event timer, optoelectronic controller and photon detectors in the case of ARGO-M. In this study, the optoelectronic system of ARGO-M is addressed and its critical design is also presented. Additionally, the experiment of the integrated optoelectronic system was performed in the laboratory to validate the functional operation of each component and its results are analyzed to investigate ARGO-M performance in advance.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.624-627
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• 2005

Ministry of Science & Technology (MOST) and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) are preparing for the first Korean astronaut program based on the mid and long-term basic plan for space development of Korea from the year of 2003. KARI is making plans for the Korean astronaut's missions with Russia. To participate in the International Space Station (ISS) utilization through the Korean astronaut program, KARI investigates a lot of manned space missions. Among the suggested items, Earth observation on the Russian Module of ISS is the one expected mission for a Korean astronaut. This paper is intended to give readers a brief introduction of ISS Russian Module and research fields of Earth observation for astronaut's mission.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.39.4-40
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• 2017

According to the Korean government's Long-term Space Development Plan 2040, "Creative space science research" is included in a statement to investigate the origin and evolution of the universe by conducting a series of Korean space telescope missions: launch of space telescopes on a small satellite and an international collaboration explorer by 2020, a mid-size domestic space telescope by 2030, and a large size Korea leading international space telescope by 2040. We studied the feasibility of the future Korean Space Telescope (KST) for a mid-size domestic satellite platform. In order to pursue the uniqueness of the science program, we consider a wide range of observing wavelength (0.2um ~ 2.0um) with a spectral resolution of R~6 in the NUV and optical bands, and R~30 for NIR, utilizing an off-axis TMS(Three Mirror System) optics with a wide field of view ($2{\times}4$ degrees) which is optimized for ultra-low surface brightness sources. The main science goals of the mission include investigations of the galaxy formation, cosmic web, and the cosmic background radiation in the NUV-NIR regions. In this paper, we present the science cases and several technical challenges to be resolved along with the future milestones for the success of the KST mission.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.833-833
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• 2015