Danuri Orbiter: SpaceX Successfully Launches South Korea’s First Moon Mission
SpaceX successfully launched South Korea’s first lunar mission, an orbiter named ‘Danari’ and its companion imaging satellite ‘Naro’ from Cape Canaveral on Monday.
The 229-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket carrying the two satellites took off from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) launched its first moon mission with the help of SpaceX as part of its goal to become a global leader in aerospace by 2030. With this successful launch, KARI has taken a big step towards achieving its target. This is not the first time SpaceX has launched a mission to the Moon. In June this year, it launched India’s Chandrayaan-2, which is scheduled to be landing on the surface of the Moon sometime soon in September or October this year.
What is the purpose of launching KARI’s Danari and Naro SEND?
The acronym SEND stands for ‘Space Engineering and R&D.’ The main purpose of this mission is to develop technologies to explore the Moon. The orbiter and the imaging satellites will be used to survey the surface of the Moon. The main objectives of this mission are to survey the Moon’s surface, identify potential landing sites, collect scientific data, and survey the state of solar wind. The orbiter will be taking high-resolution images of the surface of the Moon. It will also carry a laser altimeter, a magnetometer, and a gamma-ray spectrometer to survey the lunar surface’s surface and chemical composition. ‘Naro,’ on the other hand, will be taking images of the Earth. The satellite will also be taking pictures of the Moon, but at a lower resolution than what the orbiter will be taking.
How will the satellite help in exploring the Moon?
The orbiter will travel to the Moon, and from there, it will make high-resolution images of the surface of the Moon. It will also be carrying a laser altimeter, a magnetometer, and a gamma-ray spectrometer to survey the texture and the chemical composition of the lunar surface. The mission’s main objective is to explore the Moon’s surface, identify potential landing sites, collect scientific data, and survey the state of solar wind. In addition, the ‘Naro’ will be taking images of the Earth. The satellite will also be taking pictures of the Moon, but at a lower resolution than what the orbiter will be taking.
What are the differences between ‘Naro’ and ‘Danari’?
‘Naro’ is a high-resolution imaging satellite, and ‘Danari’ is an orbiter. The orbiting satellite circles around the Earth and the imaging satellites hover over a specific area. With the orbiter and the imaging satellite, KARI will try to understand the Moon’s surface and the solar wind. The Danari orbiter is expected to circle the Moon for about one year. It will do so at an altitude of approximately 100 to 140 miles above the surface of the Moon. The Naro-i imaging satellite, on the other hand, will hover over a specific point on the surface of the Moon for about a month.
Summing up
The orbiter is expected to circle the Moon for about one year. It will do so at an altitude of approximately 100 to 140 miles above the surface of the Moon. The Naro-i imaging satellite, on the other hand, will hover over a specific point on the surface of the Moon for about a month. The main objectives of this mission are to survey the Moon’s surface, identify potential landing sites, collect scientific data, and survey the state of solar wind. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) launched its first moon mission with the help of SpaceX as part of its goal to become a global leader in aerospace by 2030. With this successful launch, KARI has taken a big step towards achieving its target.