Overview of the Flight Dynamics Subsystem for Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Mission

Young-Joo Song,Seungbum Hong,Jae-Ik Park,Young-Rok Kim,Dae-Kwan Kim,Jonghee Bae,Donghun Lee

doi:10.3390/aerospace8080222

Abstract

Korea’s first lunar mission, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), aims to launch in mid-2022 via the Space-X Falcon-9 launch vehicle. For the successful flight operation of KPLO, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has designed and developed the Flight Dynamics Subsystem (FDS). FDS is one of the subsystems in the KPLO Deep-Space Ground System (KDGS), which is responsible for the overall flight dynamics-related operation. FDS is currently successfully implemented and meets all of the requirements derived from the critical design phases. The current work addresses the design and implementation results for the KPLO FDS. Starting from overviews on KPLO payloads, bus systems, and mission trajectory characteristics, a review on KDGS is also treated briefly. Details on the design philosophy, unique characteristics, and functionalities of all six different modules nested inside the FDS with its Graphical User Interface (GUI) design are discussed. Moreover, efforts currently devoted to the flight operation preparation of the KPLO are summarized, including many collaborative works between KARI and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) teams.

Highlights

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) will be the first Korean satellite to fly beyond Earth’s orbit and is expected to be launched in the middle of 2022
Many collaborative efforts are currently devoted to the successful launch and operation of the KPLO led by a Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) team
This paper addressed the design and implementation results of the Flight Dynamics Subsystem (FDS), which are essential for the successful flight operation of Korea’s first lunar probe, the KPLO

Summary

Introduction

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) will be the first Korean satellite to fly beyond Earth’s orbit and is expected to be launched in the middle of 2022. KARI launched its first multipurpose satellite, called Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite (KOMPSAT), in 1999, and operates more than 15 Earth-orbiting KOMPSAT series, including low. Starting from the KPLO, Korea’s space exploration activities are expected to be more accelerated, as Korea plans to focus on lunar surface investigations using landers and rovers by the end of 2030, and landing on asteroids is seriously considered by the end of 2035 [2]. Korea has just begun to consider another new deep space program, visiting the Apophis during its close approach to Earth in 2029. With the use of the Weak Stability Boundary (WSB)/Ballistic Lunar

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Conclusion