[앵커]
The launch of Korea’s first lunar probe, Danuri, is two months away.
Danuri is scheduled to be transported to the Florida Space Launch Center early next month following completing all inspections including the space environment simulation test.
Reporter Lee Seong-gyu covered the story.
[기자]
Danuri, Korea’s first lunar probe, weighing 678 kg.
Five scientific payloads developed in Korea were loaded in Danuri.
Gamma-ray spectroscopy for lunar surface resource exploration and space internet payload for deep space exploration.
A shadow cam provided by NASA in the United States was installed to capture the permanently shaded areas of the lunar poles.
The video captured by Shadow Cam will be used to select a candidate site for the Artemis lunar exploration landing in the United States.
Instead of mounting Nasa’s shadow cam on Danuri, NASA helps us navigate to the moon and more.
Although Danuri’s flight time is rather long at four and a half full moons, it is expected to enter the lunar trajectory by using the gravity of the earth and the moon to save fuel considerably.
This is because the previous design change increased the weight by more than 120 kg, and it was necessary to reduce fuel consumption as much as possible.
[김대관 / 한국항공우주연구원 단장 : (궤도선) 무게가 늘어나니깐 전체 무게 대비 연료의 비율이 안 맞은 상태가 된 거고, 기존 연료로는 3.5일 코스로 가기에는 불안한 조건이 된 겁니다. 차선책으로 선택한 것은 NASA에서 제안도 했고 BLT 코스로 가면 연료를 이론적으로는 최대 25%까지 줄일 수 있어요.]
Danuri, who flew regarding 6 million km, attempts to enter lunar orbit using the moon’s gravity.
After that, by gradually decreasing the altitude five times, it begins to settle in a 100km circular orbit above the moon, which is the target orbit.
[조영호 / 한국항공우주연구원 연구원 : 달에 진입할 때 워낙 궤도선의 속도가 빨라 진입이 쉽지 않습니다. 역추진해서 원하는 달의 위치에 딱 들어가야 하는데 그게 가장 어려운 두 번째 포인트입니다.]
It is scheduled to reach its target orbit on December 31, and it will perform missions such as observing the moon, measuring magnetic fields, and photographing shaded areas for one year.
Danuri, who has completed the simulation tests of the space environment such as cryogenic temperature, high temperature, and vacuum, will be transferred to the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida at the beginning of next month.
Then, on August 3rd at 8:20 am Korean time, it was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and set out on a journey to the moon.
This is Lee Seong-gyu from YTN Science.
YTN Lee Seong-gyu ([email protected])
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