Abstract Aiming to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, interest in new and robust communication and navigation capabilities on the lunar surface is greater than ever before. In response, lunar navigation systems (LNS) have been conceptualized and put into action by space agencies. While we expect these services to be fully functional before the late 2020s, many missions are set to begin surface exploration before the initiation of these services. To meet the immediate needs of early missions, our group proposed a small-start technology demonstration mission called the Lunar Navigation CubeSat (LunaCube). The mission aims to demonstrate a LNS transmitter and store-and-forward radio in the vicinity of the Moon and to provide lunar positioning services to lunar surface assets. The project was initiated with funding support from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) and completed preliminary design and detailed design in 2021 and 2022 respectively. As a result of the design study, the satellites consist of a 6U-size structure, a 50W-class deployed solar panel, a X-band transponder, three-axis attitude control using a star tracker, sun sensors, gyro, reaction wheels, and reaction control system thruster, as well as orbit control using a water-based resistojet. The total wet mass is less than 14 kg.
Highlights A dual-satellite lunar navigation system, called LunaCube, is proposed. LunaCube can provide 50 m user positioning accuracy relative to a reference station. MDPO algorithm is used to reduce the size and numbers of the navigation satellites. The system consists of two 6U CubeSats, each with a total wet mass of under 14 kg.
Systems design results of LunaCube: Dual-satellite lunar navigation system with 6U-CUBESATs
Acta Astronautica ; 216 ; 318-329
2023-11-16
12 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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