NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was surprised during one of its latest sightings. What was initially identified as an elongated and strange object turned out to be the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) from South Korea, known as Danuri. This is the spacecraft that was placed in orbit in 2022, which is used to test a technology called ‘lunar internet’, through which communication between Earth and the lunar surface can be established without interruptions in future missions. Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center remarked on the perfect timing of the LRO to capture Danuri at just the right moment.
The LRO is not only capable of capturing images of spacecraft in orbit but has also located wreckage of crashed vessels on the lunar surface, and even bounced a laser off India’s Vikram lander to improve the accuracy of positioning systems. One of the most curious anecdotes is that Danuri’s ShadowCam also detected the LRO, showing images of the back of the spacecraft.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (KPLO), NASA
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a robotic space probe belonging to NASA. It was launched and put into orbit in 2009, and it is currently still orbiting the Moon with the aim of mapping the surface to facilitate the discovery of safe areas for future crewed missions, and to identify resources such as water or ice. All of this is made possible by using its high-resolution camera, along with other scientific instruments. Since its launch on August 12, 16 years ago, the amount of information provided by this probe has been substantial, making the Moon the celestial body about which we have the most information and the most studied in the solar system.
Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO)
Better known by the name Danuri, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) is the name given to South Korea’s first lunar mission, launched in August 2022. The goal was to place the spacecraft into orbit around the Moon to study its resources, map it, create an independent topographic map, conduct scientific experiments, and test ‘space internet’ technology.
Is that an UFO?
Last July, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) could not explain a strange fragment moving above the surface of the Moon. The possibility of a UFO or an unidentified lunar object was considered, but the reality was that it was a spacecraft orbiting the celestial body. It was the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), also called Danuri, owned by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, which according to NASA’s statements, “travels in nearly parallel orbits”.
Images from Danuri
After being launched in August 2002 and placed in orbit in December of the same year, Danuri is South Korea’s first lunar mission. According to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, “they needed exquisite timing to point the LROC at the right spot at the right moment to take a look at Danuri.” Why was the spacecraft’s image distorted? The physical appearance of the spacecraft consists of two solar panels and an antenna. However, the exposure time of the LRO’s camera was 0.338 milliseconds, so NASA explained that “Danuri appears ‘blurry up to ten times its size in the opposite direction of travel due to the relatively high travel speeds between the two spacecraft”.
Other functions and achievements of the LRO
Among the multiple functions of the LRO, there is also the interaction with other missions. In addition to orbiting and mapping the Moon, it has also been responsible for the discovery of wreckage from crashed spacecraft on the lunar surface. It is noteworthy that it bounced a laser beam off India’s Vikram lander, aiming to improve the accuracy of positioning systems. One of the striking and anecdotal events of this exchange with Danuri was that the ShadowCam developed by NASA for Danuri captured the back of the LRO, somewhat like a double photo at the same time.
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