• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제34권4호
• /
• pp.281-288
• /
• 2017

The first Korea lunar orbiter, Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), has been in development since 2016. After launch, the KPLO will execute several maneuvers to enter into the lunar mission orbit, and will then perform lunar science missions for one year. Among these maneuvers, the lunar orbit insertion (LOI) is the most critical maneuver because the KPLO will experience an extreme velocity change in the presence of the Moon's gravitational pull. However, the lunar orbiter may have a delayed LOI burn during operation due to hardware limitations and telemetry delays. This delayed burn could occur in different captured lunar orbits; in the worst case, the KPLO could fly away from the Moon. Therefore, in this study, the burn delay for the first LOI maneuver is analyzed to successfully enter the desired lunar orbit. Numerical simulations are performed to evaluate the difference between the desired and delayed lunar orbits due to a burn delay in the LOI maneuver. Based on this analysis, critical factors in the LOI maneuver, the periselene altitude and orbit period, are significantly changed and an additional delta-V in the second LOI maneuver is required as the delay burn interval increases to 10 min from the planned maneuver epoch.

• 한국항공우주학회지
• /
• 제46권12호
• /
• pp.1028-1036
• /
• 2018

한국항공우주연구원은 달 탐사 프로젝트 1단계로 시험용 달 궤도선을 2020년 12월에 발사할 계획이다. 시험용 궤도선은 본 궤도선과 착륙선을 발사하기 이전에 미리 달 탐사 기술 확보 및 과학 데이터를 획득하기 위해 발사된다. 본 논문은 궤도선의 열설계 검증에 관한 내용을 기술하고 있다. 달 궤도선은 달의 많은 적외선 복사 때문에 지구 저궤도 위성보다 극한의 열 환경에 노출된다. 따라서 이를 고려한 열설계를 하여 궤도선 탑재 장비들의 온도를 모든 궤도에서 허용온도 범위 내로 유지해야 한다. 이를 위해 달 궤도선 열설계 검증에 필요한 지구-달 전이 궤도, 달 임무 궤도, 월식 기간에 대한 열해석을 수행하였으며, 해석 결과를 바탕으로 궤도선의 열설계가 설계 요구조건을 만족하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제40권4호
• /
• pp.217-224
• /
• 2023

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), also known as Danuri, successfully entered its mission orbit on December 27, 2022 (UTC), and is currently performing its mission smoothly. To mitigate potential contingencies during the flight and to navigate the spacecraft into the desired lunar orbit, the KPLO flight dynamics (FD) team analyzed major trajectory-related contingencies that could lead to the violation of mission requirements and prepared operational procedures from the perspective of trajectory and FD. This paper presents the process of preparing contingency trajectory operations for the KPLO, including the identification of trajectory contingencies, prioritization results, and the development of recovery plans and operational procedures. The prepared plans were successfully applied to address minor contingencies encountered during actual operations. The results of this study will provide valuable insights to FD engineers preparing for space exploration mission operations.

• 한국항공우주학회지
• /
• 제47권4호
• /
• pp.309-318
• /
• 2019

한국형 달 궤도선(Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, KPLO)에 탑재되는 달 표면지형 광학관측기(Lunar Terrian Imager, LUTI)의 열설계를 수행하고, 열해석을 통하여 열설계의 건전성을 검증하였다. 달 임무궤도의 열환경은 지구궤도와 달리 달 표면의 IR 복사가 중요하므로 이를 열설계에 반영하여야 한다. 위성 외부에 노출되는 부품이나 모듈은 가능한 MLI로 단열시키지만 경통이나 방열판은 기능상 노출되므로 복사형상계수의 개념을 이용한 thermal shield를 전면에 장착함으로써 IR 복사를 완화시킨다. 태양복사를 거의 받지 않는 방열판의 전면부는 IR 방사율이 중요하며, 경통과 같이 열변형에 취약한 부품은 복사히터를 사용하여 온도구배를 최소화시킨다. 열해석 결과분석을 통하여 LUTI의 열설계는 다양한 상황에서 안정적임을 확인하였다.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제40권3호
• /
• pp.123-129
• /
• 2023

This paper presents an analysis of the trans-lunar trajectory insertion performance of the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), the first lunar exploration spacecraft of the Republic of Korea. The successful launch conducted on August 4, 2022 (UTC), utilized the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The trans-lunar trajectory insertion performance plays a crucial role in ensuring the overall mission success by directly influencing the spacecraft's onboard fuel consumption. Following separation from the launch vehicle (LV), a comprehensive analysis of the trajectory insertion performance was performed by the KPLO flight dynamics (FD) team. Both orbit parameter message (OPM) and orbit determination (OD) solutions were employed using deep space network (DSN) tracking measurements. As a result, the KPLO was accurately inserted into the ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory, satisfying all separation requirements at the target interface point (TIP), including launch injection energy per unit mass (C3), right ascension of the injection orbit apoapsis vector (RAV), and declination of the injection orbit apoapsis vector (DAV). The precise BLT trajectory insertion facilitated the smoother operation of the KPLO's remainder mission phase and enabled the utilization of reserved fuel, consequently significantly enhancing the possibilities of an extended mission.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제39권4호
• /
• pp.181-194
• /
• 2022

Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), also known as Danuri, was successfully launched on 4 Aug. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station using a Space-X Falcon-9 rocket. Flight dynamics (FD) operational readiness was one of the critical parts to be checked before the flight. To demonstrate FD software's readiness and enhance the operator's contingency response capabilities, KPLO FD specialists planned, organized, and conducted four simulations and two rehearsals before the KPLO launch. For the efficiency and integrity of FD simulation and rehearsal, different sets of blind test data were prepared, including the simulated tracking measurements that incorporated dynamical model errors, maneuver execution errors, and other errors associated with a tracking system. This paper presents the simulation and rehearsal results with lessons learned for the KPLO FD operational readiness checkout. As a result, every functionality of FD operation systems is firmly secured based on the operation procedure with an enhancement of contingency operational response capability. After conducting several simulations and rehearsals, KPLO FD specialists were much more confident in the flight teams' ability to overcome the challenges in a realistic flight and FD software's reliability in flying the KPLO. Moreover, the results of this work will provide numerous insights to the FD experts willing to prepare deep space flight operations.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제36권4호
• /
• pp.293-306
• /
• 2019

In this study, the observational arc-length effect on orbit determination (OD) for the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) in the Earth-Moon Transfer phase was investigated. For the OD, we employed a sequential estimation using the extended Kalman filter and a fixed-point smoother. The mission periods, comprised between the perigee maneuvers (PM) and the lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver in a 3.5 phasing loop of the KPLO, was the primary target. The total period was divided into three phases: launch-PM1, PM1-PM3, and PM3-LOI. The Doppler and range data obtained from three tracking stations [included in the deep space network (DSN) and Korea Deep Space Antenna (KDSA)] were utilized for the OD. Six arc-length cases (24 hrs, 48 hrs, 60 hrs, 3 days, 4 days, and 5 days) were considered for the arc-length effect investigation. In order to evaluate the OD accuracy, we analyzed the position uncertainties, the precision of orbit overlaps, and the position differences between true and estimated trajectories. The maximum performance of 3-day OD approach was observed in the case of stable flight dynamics operations and robust navigation capability. This study provides a guideline for the flight dynamics operations of the KPLO in the trans-lunar phase.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제38권3호
• /
• pp.185-192
• /
• 2021

This technical paper deals the practical transformation algorithms between several lunar reference frames which will be used for Korea pathfinder lunar orbiter (KPLO) flight operation. Despite of various lunar reference frame definitions already exist, use of a common transformation algorithm while establishing lunar reference frame is very important for all members related to KPLO mission. This is because use of slight different parameters during frame transformation may result significant misleading while reprocessing data based on KPLO flight dynamics. Therefore, details of practical transformation algorithms for the KPLO mission specific lunar reference frames is presented with step by step implementation procedures. Examples of transformation results are also presented to support KPLO flight dynamics data user community which is expected to give practical guidelines while post processing the data as their needs. With this technical paper, common understandings of reference frames that will be used throughout not only the KPLO flight operation but also science data reprocessing can be established. It is expected to eliminate, or at least minimize, unnecessary confusion among all of the KPLO mission members including: Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as well as other organizations participating in KPLO payload development and operation, or further lunar science community world-wide who are interested in KPLO science data post processing.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제40권4호
• /
• pp.199-215
• /
• 2023

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), the first South Korea lunar exploration probe, successfully arrived at the Moon on December, 2022 (UTC), following a 4.5-month ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory. Since the launch (4 August, 2022), the KPLO magnetometer (KMAG) has carried out various observations during the trans-lunar cruise phase and a 100 km altitude lunar polar orbit. KMAG consists of three fluxgate magnetometers capable of measuring magnetic fields within a ± 1,000 nT range with a resolution of 0.2 nT. The sampling rate is 10 Hz. During the originally planned lifetime of one year, KMAG has been operating successfully while performing observations of lunar crustal magnetic fields, magnetic fields induced in the lunar interior, and various solar wind events. The calibration and offset processes were performed during the TLC phase. In addition, reliabilities of the KMAG lunar magnetic field observations have been verified by comparing them with the surface vector mapping (SVM) data. If the KPLO's mission orbit during the extended mission phase is close enough to the lunar surface, KMAG will contribute to updating the lunar surface magnetic field map and will provide insights into the lunar interior structure and lunar space environment.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• 제37권3호
• /
• pp.199-208
• /
• 2020

This paper presents a kinematic ephemeris generator for Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) and its performance test results. The kinematic ephemeris generator consists of a ground ephemeris compressor and an onboard ephemeris calculator. The ground ephemeris compressor has to compress desired orbit propagation data by using an interpolation method in a ground system. The onboard ephemeris calculator can generate spacecraft ephemeris and the Sun/Moon ephemeris in onboard computer of the KPLO. Among many interpolation methods, polynomial interpolation with uniform node, Chebyshev interpolation, Hermite interpolation are tested for their performances. As a result of the test, it is shown that all the methods have some cases that meet requirements but there are some performance differences. It is also confirmed that, the Chebyshev interpolation shows better performance than other methods for spacecraft ephemeris generation, and the polynomial interpolation with uniform nodes yields good performance for the Sun/Moon ephemeris generation. Based on these results, a Kinematic ephemeris generator is developed for the KPLO mission. Then, the developed ephemeris generator can find an approximating function using interpolation method considering the size and accuracy of the data to be transmitted.