• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.98-106
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• 2018

With the advancement in technology, miniaturization, integration, and weight reduction of satellite components have become possible. In this regard, existing medium and large satellites have been replaced by small satellites. As the demand for small satellites increases, the need for micro-thrusters has emerged for precise attitude and position control. A laser ablation micro-thruster, which generates thrust by using ablation jets that offer a wide range of thrusts and low-impulse thrusts, is considered as an alternative for micro-thrusters in small satellites. The objective of the present study is to introduce configurations of the laser ablation micro-thruster and its research trend.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.753-756
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• 2017

With the advancement of technology, miniaturization, integration, and weight reduction have become possible, and the existing medium and large satellites have been replaced by small satellites, and the need for a micro thruster has emerged. Laser ablation micro-thruster is a new type thruster using laser ablation. It is emerging as a new candidate in micro-thrusters with wide thrust range and low single impulse thrust. The objective of present study is to introduces the structure, propellant, and research trends of the laser ablation micro-thruster.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.100-107
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• 2001

Miro propulsion device is a literally very small propulsion system The reason why such a small propulsion system is required is that micro satellites are considered as substitutions for conventional satellites to reduce cost; the fabrication of micro satellites enables us to produce mass production Microrockets have relatively high values of thrust/weight ratio due to the cube law; weight is proportional to volume and thrust is proportional to area. Accordingly, downsizing makes the ratio of thrust/weight ratio high However, conventionally ignorable facts are not negligible any more in small scale systems. for chemical micro rockets, downsizing causes lots of heat loss as surface to volume ratio increases, which results in the destruction of radical ions. For thrusters using plasma, the generation of strong magnetic field for plasma is very difficult. Also, in the aspect of flow dynamics, the effects of drag and viscosity are important parameters in low Re flows. When these problems are solved, micro propulsion systems can be commercialized and result in spin-off effects in many fields.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.213-219
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• 2017

Large satellite development programs might take decades to build, launch and operate in space environments at costs in excess of a billion dollars. However, small satellites can reduce the costs not only by using commercial software and sensors, but also by shortening the development period to two years or less. In this paper, we discuss the development status of small satellites, and propose some military applications of small satellites. First, we describe the industrial trends of small satellites in advanced countries such as the United States and Japan. Also, we describe the development status of small satellites in Korea. Military applications are largely classified into education, research, and operational purposes. Small satellites are developing rapidly in commercial markets and they will play an important role in military sector. Therefore, the military should consider small satellites as important strategic assets in future conflicts and provide means to develop them.

• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.256-267
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• 2021

In this paper, the New Space characteristics and response of micro & small satellite, and space industrialization strategy using domestic technologies are described. Recently, micro & small satellites are developed worldwide, including Starlink, having the characteristics of low-cost, light-weight and satellite constellation. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for the constellation operation by considering the use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts, satellite weight, shape and mass production. In particular, it is necessary to develop Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) technology in consideration of the frequency interference during constellation operation, and to prepare and make efforts to secure frequencies in the government. Among the commercial-grade memories of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the space-grade memory field using radiation tolerant memory and the high reliable packaging and space environment test technology has potential as a space industrialization strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.40-46
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• 2022

Hall thrusters are one of the electric propulsion, where ions are accelerated to generate thrust and are widely utilized in space missions due to their high specific impulses. Recently, as the utilization of small and micro satellites with the mass of similar or less than 100 kg is highly increasing, the importance of research and development of the low-power electric propulsion is also raised. In this study, we developed two sub-200 W or less class, laboratory model Hall thrusters and measured the thrust and analyzed the discharge characteristics. Consequently, we obtained 2.5-9.0 mN of thrust, 600-1,150 s of specific impulse, and 15-28% of anode efficiency at 50-175 W of anode power.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.393-398
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• 2008

This paper suggests a GPS/INS navigation computer architecture that can be applied to small satellites. In order to implement a GPS/INS navigation system on a small satellite, the extreme environment in space such as radiation, micro-gravity, vacuum, etc. must be considered. In addition, a real-time processing ability is required for the GPS/INS navigation system since the formation flying of multiple small satellites is the ultimate goal. The developed navigation electronics utilizes a PowerPC-type MPC860T that has space environment heritage, and a pair of Atmega128s that has been implemented in KAUSAT-2 and has completed the space environment verification tests. The navigation algorithm is designed to work in VxWorks environment, ported in MPC860T.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.8-16
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• 2022

This paper presents the orbital control for positioning micro synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites for all-weather monitoring around the Korean Peninsula. In Small SAR technology experimental project (S-STEP) developed in Korea, multiple satellites are placed at equal intervals in multiple orbital planes to secure an average revisit period for the region around the Korean Peninsula. Satellites entering the same orbital plane use ion thrusters to control their orbits and the separation velocity from the launch vehicle to distribute them evenly across the orbit. For an orbital that places the satellites equally spaced in the same orbital plane, the shape of the satellite constellation is formed by adjusting the difference in drift rates between the satellites. This paper presents, different types of satellite constellations, and the results of satellite constellation placement according to launch strategies are presented. In addition, a method and limitations in shortening the duration of orbital deployment are presented.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.225-230
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• 2002

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been used for mapping the surface geomorphology of cloudy planets like Venus as well as the Earth. The cloud-free Mars is also going to be scanned by SAR in order to detect buried water channels and other features under the very shallow subsurface af the ground. According to the 'Mid and Long-term National Space Development Plan' of Korea, SAR satellites, in addition to the EO (Electro-Optical) satellites, are supposed to be developed in the frame of the KOMPSAT (Korean Multi-Purpose Satellite) program. Feasibility of utilizing a SAR payload on KOMPSAT platform has been studied by KARI in collaboration with Astrium U.K. The purpose of the ShR program is Scientific and Civil applications on the Earth. The study showed that KOMPSAT-2 platform can accommodate a small SAR like Astrium’s MicroSAR. In this paper, system aspects of the satellite design are presented, such as mission scenario, operation concept, and capabilities. The spacecraft design is also discussed and conclusion is followed.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.123-128
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• 2010

Science and Technology SATellite-3 (STSAT-3) is science purpose satellite which weighs below 170kg. This is classified as small satellite or micro satellite more specifically. The launch vehicles (launchers) for small satellite has their own requirements for environmental interface. Since the small satellites are usually launched with cluster or multiple payloads, the selection option for appropriate launcher is limited. Therefore, the satellite should be designed with the consideration of environmental requirements of these launchers. In this paper, the environmental requirement of most candidated launchers for small satellite is summarized and give satellite environmental requirement to accommodate all launchers requirements.