AP Satellite Signs Contract for Integrated Electrical Testing of Lunar Orbiter

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] AP Satellite announced on the 19th that it has signed a contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute to carry out the electrical field integrated test technical service for the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), the first domestically launched test lunar orbiter.

In satellite development, verifying functions and performance in ground and space environments before launch is essential. This contract aims to successfully perform the electrical field integrated test during the Electrical Test Bed (ETB) testing and Flight Model (FM) Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) process of the test lunar orbiter. AP Satellite will conduct the overall electrical field integrated test to verify the final performance of the FM in launch environment, orbital environment, and electromagnetic environment through ground verification processes for the test lunar orbiter ETB and FM.

AP Satellite signed a contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in May 2017 for the design and manufacture of the main body electrical components of the test lunar orbiter and plans to complete the delivery of the Flight Model (FM) by next month. The lunar exploration project is aimed at securing the foundational technologies necessary for lunar exploration, including orbiters, landers, scientific payloads, and deep space communication, to develop Korea’s first lunar probe. As part of the first phase, AP Satellite develops and delivers the onboard computer, onboard data processing unit, power control and distribution unit, and harness for the test lunar orbiter.

The onboard computer developed and manufactured by AP Satellite for the test lunar orbiter is equipped with a high-performance CPU to ensure stable operation of flight software, control various inputs and outputs within the satellite, and facilitate command and status information exchange between the ground station and the satellite. The onboard data processing unit collects, stores, and converts various data from multiple technical and scientific payloads accommodated by the orbiter. In this development, the onboard computer and onboard data processing unit are integrated and developed as a single unit. Additionally, the power control and distribution unit is responsible for generating, storing, regulating, and distributing power throughout the satellite’s lifespan.

An AP Satellite official stated, “As the role of private companies is becoming increasingly important in the domestic space industry market, once the test lunar orbiter development is completed, AP Satellite’s technical capabilities in satellite main body electrical components will be recognized not only domestically but also in the global space market.”

Meanwhile, the Korean test lunar orbiter, developed and manufactured with AP Satellite’s participation, is scheduled to be launched in August 2022 aboard the Falcon 9 launch vehicle developed by the U.S. private space exploration company SpaceX. The test lunar orbiter will perform missions such as scouting landing sites for the lunar lander, analyzing lunar surface particles, researching the origin of the moon, and measuring the intensity of the magnetic field around the moon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.