Summary
- The domestically
developed LUSEM begins its journey to the U.S., and will be mounted on a
commercial lunar lander selected by NASA
- The payload will
be loaded on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C and launched into space in late 2024
- LUSEM to land on
the low-latitude "Reiner Gamma" region on the near side of the moon,
lunar environment observation mission to be conducted
The Ministry of
Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong Ho, hereinafter referred to as
"MSIT") and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
(President Park Young-deuk, hereinafter referred to as "KASI")
announced that the development of the "Lunar Space Environment Monitor
(LUSEM)" payload has been completed, and its transportation to the United
States has commenced. LUSEM is planned to be launched to the Moon in 2024
through unmanned lunar lander in the U.S., and carry out scientific missions.
LUSEM is a
space payload system developed by KASI in pursuit of international joint research
in lunar exploration. Its development is part of KASI’s participation in the U.S.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Commercial Lunar Payload
Services (CLPS). CLPS is a subproject of the bigger Artemis Project led by the
U.S., in which NASA aims to launch unmanned lunar lander packed with payloads
for scientific exploration and commercial development purposes every year. NASA
is responsible for project coordination and management, and businesses in the
private sector will be selected through public bidding to take charge of the
development, launch, landing, and operation of unmanned lunar lander. Within
this framework, the role of KASI is to develop four types* of payloads to be
mounted on the lunar lander, and execute joint research initiative in
partnership with the U.S.
* A. Lunar Space Environment Monitor
(LUSEM), B. Lunar Surface Magnetometer (LSMAG), C. Light Field Cameras for
Lunar Regolith Grains (GrainCams), D. Lunar Vehicle Radiation Dosimeter (LVRAD)
LUSEM
is a particle detector specializing in the detection of high-energy particles,
each exceeding 50 kiloelectronvolts (50keV*) worth of energy. It was developed
in collaboration with the research team led by Professor Seon Jong-Ho from the
Department of Astronomy & Space Science of Kyung Hee University, under the
leadership of KASI. The manufacturing of LUSEM was undertaken by a Korean
company named Satrec Initiative.
* An electronvolt (eV) is a unit of
energy used in the quantitative scale of that possessed by an electrically
charged particle. A single electronvolt is equivalent to the energy gained by a
particle carrying a charge of 1.6*10-19 coulombs (C) when it is
accelerated through a potential difference of 1 volt (V).
Unlike
Earth, the lunar surface is not protected by neither an aerial atmosphere nor a
magnetic field. Therefore, it is widely known that high-energy particles from
outer space can directly impact the lunar surface, which carries significant
implications for the health of astronauts, and the functionality, structure and
durability of electronic components of spacecrafts. This also affects how
scientific research is conducted, with respect to factors like weathering
processes on celestial bodies without atmosphere, and many more. Thus, the need
for research on high-energy particles to prepare for future deep space
exploration by human crew or any other forms of space sciences studies has been
consistently raised.
Recognizing the necessity
of such research, NASA announced in November 2021 that Korean-developed LUSEM
will be onboard Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander, which is scheduled for
launch in 2024. Nova-C is set to land in the low-latitude region of the lunar
near side known as "Reiner Gamma." Along with space environment
monitor utilizing LUSEM, its various missions include surface topography
observation, measurement of local magnetic anomalies, deployment of a team of
rovers as part of the cooperative autonomous distributed robotic exploration
(CADRE) project, and installment of laser retroreflectors.
Figure: The tentative landing site of
Nova-C and LUSEM
* Reiner Gamma, located on the lunar near
side, west of the equator, is a geological feature displaying a distinctive
undulating pattern, but actually consisted of flat planes.
LUSEM
consists of a sensor head (LSH), a front-end unit, and connecting wires. Among
these, LSH is the primary equipment for observing high-energy particles and is
in turn consisted of two detectors each facing up and down, making the
resulting equipment capable of bidirectional observations. Each in this pair of
detectors is responsible for detecting electrons and protons, respectively. The
detector facing upward detects particles coming from outer space, while the
other verifies particles reflected from the lunar surface, allowing for
comparative analyses. The front-end unit does the managerial task, such as
controlling the LSH, processing signals, and supplying power.
Figure: A concept art of LUSEM and Nova-C
Components | Functionality |
| Sensor head | Detects and distinguishes between
electrons and ions of high energy |
| Front-end unit | Sensor control, signal processing,
power supply, electric interface management between the payload and the
lander |
LUSEM will be
transported to the U.S. after completing its air packaging on September 4th.
It will initially be transported in a vibration-free vehicle, departing from
Daejeon and arriving at the Incheon International Airport. From there, it will
be air-shipped to the Intuitive Machines headquarter in Houston, Texas.
Following this, KASI will work to install LUSEM on Nova-C by early 2024 under
the leadership of NASA, and initiate preparatory procedures, including
interface and functional tests with the lander. It is anticipated that LUSEM
and Nova-C will launch at the end of 2024, using Falcon-9 of SpaceX.
Cho Sun Hak, the
Director-General of Space, Nuclear, and Big Science Policy Bureau at MSIT,
stated that, "This successfully marks the very first substantial outcome
from international collaboration initiated after the signing of the Artemis
Accords." He further stated, "After the success of the Danuri
project, South Korea has been engaged in continuous collaboration with the
United States in the field of space exploration. MSIT will make continued
endeavors to expand Korea's contribution to the Artemis program and broaden the
scope of international joint research efforts in space."
President
Park Young-deuk of KASI also remarked, "LUSEM is one of the prideworthy Korean
payloads for scientific missions. We anticipate that this module will bring us
various information about space environment, which is crucial in the era of
space exploration."
For further information, please contact the Public
Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr)
of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.