Danuri, the South Korean probe around the Moon, is sending back the first images of Earth and they are stunning
Beautiful images of Earth and the Moon were sent by the South Korean probe Danuri, which has been orbiting our natural satellite for several weeks. All surface images will be used to select a future landing site.
Danuri entered orbitorbit around the MoonMoon… early ! It was after many light and cheap fuel maneuvers that the South Korean probe went into orbit around the Moon at the end of December. Its trajectory is however still very elliptical and it will still take time for the probe to be in polar orbit at 100 km above the surface. However, South Korea became the seventh country to land on the Moon.
Since taking off on August 5 from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9Falcon 9 from SpaceX, it took the probe several months to gradually climb its altitude and reach the Moon cheaply. Now in lunar orbit, Danuri (aka KPLO – Korea Pathfinder Lunar orbiter), started taking snapshots.
Goal: find a site for landing on the moon in 2032
According to the institute in charge of aerospace research (Kari – Korean Aerospace Research Institute), the snapshots were taken on December 24 and December 28 respectively at 124 and 344 kilometers above the lunar surface. The black and white images sent back by South Korea’s first lunar probe are the first in a long series. The purpose of Kari is to map the surface to identify potential landing sites, which will not be carried out by the Danuri probe, but by a subsequent mission in 2032. The mission should include a small roverrover of 20 kgkg.
Danuri carries six scientific instruments. In addition to examining the moon’s surface, the probe will study its magnetic fieldmagnetic field and will also look for water ice at the lunar south pole. There, beneath the permanently shadowed craters, we hoped to find this ice that would not have sublimated beneath the heatheat ray
South Korea is flying to the moon
SpaceX has successfully launched the South Korean probe to the Moon. KPLO (Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter) is expected to reach the Moon in mid-December for an observation mission lasting at least a year. This mission begins an ambitious exploration program roboticsrobotics towards the Moon andasteroidsasteroids that Mars is focused on.
Article of Remy DecourtRemy Decourtpublished on August 8, 2022
Last week, South Korea became the seventh country in the world to launch a probe into the Moon. This East Asian country has a rather ambitious robotic exploration program for the Moon and asteroids, with a focus on Mars. True, this program is on a smaller scale than the main American, European and Chinese projects that provide for a person and long-term installation, but nevertheless, it describes investigations, landerslandersrovers and sample return missions.
On August 5, a Falcon 9 launch vehicle successfully launched KPLO (Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter), the first South Korean lunar mission. Developed by Korea Aerospace Research Institute (Kari), KPLO, also called Danuri, is expected to reach the Moon on December 16 for an observation mission expected to last at least a year.
It will settle into a polar orbit of about 100 kilometers from where it will carry out an observation mission of great interest. If it is extended beyond the first year of operation, it is planned to lower its orbit and bring it to only 70 kilometers from the surface of the moon, or less.
The launch of KPLO, also known as Danuri. Positioning in its polar orbit is planned for four months. © Arirang News
KPLO carried six instruments including a camera provided by NaaNaa. Among the main objectives of the probe are the identification of potential landing sites and the location of water ice sources believed to be found in large numbers in the coldest and darkest polar regions. south
The probe will play a song by a popular South Korean K-pop group
KPLO also aims to test network space communications that are tolerant of the radiative environment of space. According to the South Korean Ministry of Science, this experiment is a world first. It should also lay the foundations for a InternetInternet wireless” to link satellites around or near the Moon and exploration equipment to lunar ground activity. To test this internet network, the probe will broadcast the song dynamite of the South Korean K-pop group BTS.
Article by Rémy Decourt published on 07/11/2013
Recently a space power, South Korea announced its ambitions and announced that it wants to send a probe around the Moon. A surface rover is also in the program.
Japan is often cited as an example in robotics, but in recent years, South Korea has made significant progress in this field, to the point of becoming a world reference. Its knowledge and robotic skills are found appsapps advanced in many sectors such as medical,agricultureagriculture, transportation, security and even defense. Now, South Korea is embarking on space robotics.
Earlier this month, South Korean President Park Geun-hye announced an ambitious lunar program for 2020, including sending a probe around the Moon and landing a rover. An announcement that comes just six months after its first successful launch launcherlauncher KSLV-1 (Korea Space Launch Vehicle) and the orbiting of the STSAT-2C satellite. Kari, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, has been working on a prototype lunar rover since 2010. However, due to technological delays for some parts of space, Kari is in the process of collaborating withAmes Research Center from NASA.
Weighing 20 kg, this rover is designed to travel several tens of kilometers around its landing site. It will do a lot of exploration activities. Significantly smaller and lighter than Curiosity’s 900 kg, it will have an action radius that is as large (40 km against 39). Like NASA’s Mars rover, it will use a nuclear battery. However, unlike the CuriosityCuriosity, which runs on plutonium 238, the South Korean battery will run on strontium 90, a residue from nuclear reprocessing. Finally, if Curiosity is designed for an initial two-year mission to Mars, 500 g of strontium 90 from the South Korean rover will allow it to visit the Moon in a short month.
