World Frontier Technology Development Report 2023 "World Aerospace Technology Development Report" (5) Space Exploration Technology

Data comes from: "World Frontier Technology Development Report 2023" and the Internet

1 Overview

Deep space exploration, as the vane of human space exploration activities and the main path of space science and technology innovation, is one of the key development directions in the international aerospace field at present and in the future. In 2022, the United States, Japan, South Korea and China will continue to carry out multi-target and multi-mission deep space exploration from near and far. Using the moon as an outpost, they will gradually carry out exploration activities that extend to other asteroids, Mars, the sun and other celestial bodies.

2. Lunar exploration planning and exploration activities

2.1 The United States advances the implementation of the "Artemis" project and announces candidate landing areas on the moon

In 2022, NASA signed the Artemis Accords with Israel, Romania, Bahrain, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda and Nigeria. As of December 2022, 23 countries around the world have signed the Artemis Accords with the United States. The Artemis project is a manned spaceflight project led by NASA. Its goal is to safely send astronauts to the moon and back, establish a regular residency mechanism, and pave the way for future manned landing missions on Mars. The preliminary tasks of this project mainly include the "Artemis"-1 unmanned lunar mission, the "Artemis"-2 first manned lunar mission, and the "Artemis"-3 manned lunar landing mission. . Among them, the "Artemis"-1 and "Artemis"-2 missions are expected to be carried out by the "Space Launch System" (SLS); the "Artemis"-3 and subsequent missions are expected to be carried out by the "Artemis"-3 and subsequent missions developed by SpaceX. Starship” execution. NASA stated that the "Artemis"-3 mission is expected to be executed in 2026.

2.2 NASA’s “Orion” spacecraft successfully launched and completed an unmanned mission around the moon

As the core operation of the "Artemis"-1 mission, in November 2022, the U.S. "Space Launch System" heavy-lift rocket was successfully launched for the first time, sending the "Orion" manned spacecraft and 10 CubeSats into the Earth-moon transfer orbit. . After the "Orion" spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket body, it conducted the first orbital maneuvering system engine ignition and successfully flew to a distance of less than 129 kilometers from the lunar surface. The spacecraft entered a large-scale retrograde orbit around the moon for the first time through its second maneuvering ignition, and flew retrograde around the moon to collect test data. After staying in the orbit for 6 days, the spacecraft performed two more maneuvering ignitions and successfully entered the Earth's return orbit. During the entry into the Earth's atmosphere, the spacecraft adopted a special "jump entry method" to decelerate by bouncing on the Earth's atmosphere to allow the spacecraft to land more accurately.

2.3 The United States plans to establish a “Cisse-Moon Space Highway Patrol System” to monitor the cis-moon space

In March 2022, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory planned to launch the Cislunar Highway Patrol Satellite (CHPS) project and stated that it would focus on the cislunar space between the geostationary orbit and the lunar orbit. The project will be officially renamed the "Oracle" project in August 2022. The U.S. Air Force plans to launch the CHPS satellite to the moon. It is planned to be put into use in 2025. It will be used to search for debris, rocket bodies and other objects in the cislunar space that have not been tracked in the past. It will also update the CHPS satellite that is currently operating near the moon or difficult to access from the earth. Position data of other spacecraft in the observed cislunar space area. AFRL has awarded a US$72 million contract to Advanced Space to develop an experimental spacecraft for monitoring the cislunar space environment. At the same time, AFRL consults companies on satellite design and development plans, hoping to have the ability to detect, track and identify objects operating on the moon and even farther away.

2.4 The United States successfully launched the CAPSTONE cube satellite to test the lunar orbit environment

In June 2022, the U.S. Rocket Laboratory Company used the Electron rocket to successfully launch the Cislunar AutonomousPositioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) funded by NASA in New Zealand. CubeSats. The CAPSTONE satellite weighs 25 kilograms and is designed to test the stability of the lunar orbit and the autonomous navigation system, laying the foundation for the implementation of the Artemis mission. The satellite lost contact while leaving the Earth's orbit and heading toward the moon. Contact was reestablished after NASA attempted to repair it, and after three trajectory correction maneuvers, it successfully entered a near-linear halo orbit around the moon in November 2022.

2.5 South Korea launched its first lunar probe and successfully communicated with the ground station

In August 2022, South Korea's first lunar probe "Wangshan" was launched aboard the American SpaceX company's "Falcon"-9 rocket to carry out a one-year lunar observation mission. The "Moon Appreciation" successfully communicated with the ground station for the first time after launch. After nearly 30 days of flight, it successfully arrived at the Sun-Earth Lagrange L1 point about 1.5 million kilometers away from the Earth, and started the engine again to conduct orbital testing. Correction. On December 16, 2022, the spacecraft successfully entered the lunar orbit and flew in an elliptical orbit around the moon every 12.3 hours. "Moon Appreciation" will use 6 different instruments to collect data on the lunar surface topography, magnetic field strength, gamma rays, etc., including using the ShadowCam high-sensitivity shadow camera provided by NASA to take high-definition photography of the lunar south pole region for " The Artemis-3 mission provides a potential lunar landing site.

2.6 The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s “Hospitality” small lunar lander mission failed

In November 2022, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that it would abandon the lunar landing project of the small box probe "Haike". The "Hospitality" probe is a 6U cubesat, 11 centimeters long, 24 centimeters wide, 37 centimeters high and 12.6 kilograms in weight. It cost US$5.6 million to develop and was launched by a US Space Launch System rocket. "Hospitality" successfully separated from the rocket after launch and flew to the moon. However, the angular velocity rotated once every 4 to 5 seconds, which was 8 times higher than the limit. Its solar cells failed to face the sun in time and could not receive signals. and provide energy, thus missing the opportunity to enter lunar orbit and land on the moon. JAXA has set up a special team to investigate the reasons for the failure, including the problem of detector position deviation.

Japan launched the lunar orbiter "Kaguya" in 2007. Since then, Japan has lagged behind other countries in the field of lunar probes. It was originally thought that "Hospitality" would become Japan's first probe to land on the lunar surface. In addition to the Haoke project, lunar exploration projects being promoted by JAXA also include the soft landing of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) in 2023, and the search for water at the lunar south pole in 2024 or later. wait.

2.7 Japanese startup ispace successfully launched the world’s first commercial lunar lander

In December 2022, the "HAKUTO-R M1" spacecraft independently developed by the Japanese space start-up company ispace was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard the "Falcon"-9 launch vehicle of the American SpaceX company. The world's first commercial lunar lander successfully launched into space. The "Yutu" lunar lander is 2.3 meters high, 2.6 meters wide and has a net weight of 340 kilograms. It will arrive in the lunar orbit in about four months and is expected to "cold" at the northernmost point of the moon at 47.5 degrees north latitude and 44.4 degrees east longitude at the end of April 2023. Landing in the Atlas Crater of Mare Frigoris. Other potential landing sites for the lander include Sinus Iridum, Lacus Somniorum and Oceanus Procellarum. In addition, the launch also carried payloads from the Emirates Lunar Rover and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The company hopes to complete 10 mission operation plans, including: first, completing launch preparations; second, completing launch and deployment; third, establishing a stable operating state; fourth, completing the first orbit control maneuver; fifth, completing a one-month stable state Flight operations; the sixth is to complete all deep space orbit control maneuvers before entering the lunar orbit; the seventh is to reach the lunar gravitational field/lunar orbit; the eighth is to complete all orbit control maneuvers in the lunar orbit; the ninth is to complete the lunar soft landing; the tenth is to complete the lunar landing and soft landing. Establishing a stable system state after the moon landing. In January 2023, "Yutu" successfully conducted its second orbit control maneuver according to the mission operation plan. This orbital maneuver is the second adjustment of the lander during its journey to the moon. Compared with the first adjustment completed in December 2022, the maneuvering position is farther from the earth and the maneuvering time lasts longer, verifying the company's various capabilities. The ability to perform orbital maneuvers under conditions. If the mission goes smoothly, ispace may become the first commercial company to land on the lunar surface.

3. Mars Exploration Activities

3.1 NASA’s “InSight” Mars rover mission officially ends

In December 2022, NASA's "InSight" Mars unmanned landing probe mission officially ended. NASA stated that the "InSight" Mars rover has been unable to support communications with the Earth twice in a row due to long-term dust accumulation on its solar array, causing battery power levels to continue to decline. The last time it communicated with the Earth was on December 15, 2022. . The detector's initial battery array power level reached 5,000 watt-hours, which dropped to only 700 watt-hours in June 2021. In December 2022, the power level has dropped to 285 watt-hours. The U.S. engineering team has made many attempts to remove accumulated dust, including using the robotic arm of the "InSight" to scoop up the Martian regolith and dump it near the battery array, in the hope that the regolith particles will absorb the dust on the battery array to achieve a dust removal effect. But with little success.

In November 2018, "InSight" landed on the vast and flat "Elysium Planitia" north of the equator of Mars. It aims to understand the internal structure of Mars, explore Mars earthquakes and the core of Mars, etc. The mission period has changed from the original Two years extended to four years. One of the main achievements of "InSight" is to confirm that Mars is still seismically active, recording more than 1,300 Mars earthquakes, and measuring seismic waves generated by meteorite impacts.

3.2 NASA’s “Perseverance” Mars rover continuously drops rock sampling tubes on Mars

In December 2022, NASA's "Perseverance" Mars rover has continuously dropped two Martian rock sample tubes on the surface of Mars to provide support for the "Mars Sample-return Mission (MSR)" (Mars Sample-return Mission, MSR). "Perseverance" dropped the first sampling tube on the surface of Mars on December 21, 2022, which contained a chalk-sized igneous rock core collected in the "Jezero Crater" crater on Mars; December 2022 A second sampling tube was dropped on the surface of Mars on the 24th, which contained a 7.36-centimeter sedimentary rock core collected at the edge of an ancient river delta on Mars. This sedimentary rock core is the longest core collected by a Mars probe to date. "Perseverance" is expected to launch a total of 10 sealed sampling tubes to build mankind's first sample library on Mars. The completion of the sample library will mark an important step in NASA's "Mars Sample Return Project."

"Perseverance" collected two samples at each drilling site, one of which was kept on the rover and the other was dropped on the surface of Mars as a backup. NASA said that if the power of "Perseverance" lasts long enough, the samples it carries can be delivered to future landers; if "Perseverance" cannot deliver the samples, the sample library on Mars will serve as a backup, consisting of two A sample recovery helicopter is used to complete the delivery. NASA plans to return Mars samples to Earth in 2033. At that time, "Perseverance" will use a robotic arm to place the samples in a small rocket cabin, and then launch the small rocket to Mars orbit. A spacecraft in Mars orbit will capture the small rocket capsule and return samples to Earth for in-depth analysis.

3.3 NASA successfully conducted a Mars landing inflatable return capsule test mission

In November 2022, NASA used the Atlas-5 rocket to successfully conduct a low-Earth orbit flight test mission for the Low-Earth OrbitFlight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) inflatable return capsule. The "inflatable decelerator" return capsule verified the inflatable re-entry deceleration technology and successfully splashed into the sea near Hawaii. The mission is designed to test the performance of the 6-meter-diameter "inflatable decelerator" return capsule and collect data on re-entry into the atmosphere to support future Mars landing missions.

4. Solar exploration activities

4.1 China successfully launched the comprehensive solar exploration satellite "Kuafu-1"

In October 2022, the Chinese Academy of Sciences successfully launched the space science satellite "Kuafu-1" using the Long March-2D carrier rocket and successfully entered the planned orbit of "Zhusheng" in space. As the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), the satellite is a comprehensive solar exploration satellite independently proposed by Chinese solar physicists. It is also the successor of the "Space Science Pilot Project" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After "Mozi", "Huiyan", "Shijian No.10", "Taiji No.1" and "Huairou No.1", another space science satellite was developed and launched, achieving a leapfrog breakthrough in China's space-based solar exploration satellites. The "Kuafu-1" satellite is responsible for the development and construction of the overall engineering and ground support system by the National "Space Science Center" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; the Microsatellite Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Changchun Optics, Precision Mechanics and Physics Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences The Institute and the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are responsible for the development of satellite platforms and payloads; the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is responsible for the research and development of scientific application systems; China Xi'an Satellite Measurement and Control Center is responsible for the research and development of measurement and control systems; the Eighth Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is responsible for the development and production of launch vehicles Rocket.

The "Kuafu-1" satellite will take advantage of the 25th peak year of solar activity to detect the sun's "one magnetic storm and two bursts" and study the "one magnet" (full-sun vector magnetic field) and "two bursts" (solar flares and corona). The formation, interaction and correlation of matter ejections) provide support for space disastrous weather forecasts that affect high-tech activities such as human aerospace, communications, and navigation. The satellite has a design life of 4 years and operates in a sun-synchronous twilight orbit about 720 kilometers above the earth. It carries three payloads: an all-disk vector magnetic imager, a Lyman Alpha solar telescope and a solar hard X-ray imager. This observation mission will be the first to achieve simultaneous observations of the entire solar surface vector magnetic field, solar flare non-thermal radiation, coronal mass ejection solar surface formation and near-helical surface propagation on a near-Earth satellite platform. It will also be the first to achieve it in the Lyman Alpha band. Simultaneous observations of the full sun and near corona.

4.2 China releases the detection results of its first solar exploration science and technology experimental satellite "Xihe"

In August 2022, the China National Space Administration released the detection results of China's first solar exploration science and technology experimental satellite "Xihe". "Xihe" is a solar Hα spectrum detection and dual-super platform science and technology test satellite. It was launched on a Long March 2D carrier rocket in October 2021 and operates in a sun-synchronous orbit with an average altitude of 517 kilometers. The main scientific payload is the Solar Hα Imaging Spectrometer.

The satellite is mainly focused on solar scientific exploration and new satellite technology testing. After preliminary on-orbit testing and debugging, it has set five international firsts. It is of great significance for subsequent solar exploration missions and enhancing China’s international influence in the field of space science. First, it is the first time in the world to successfully realize the solar Hα band spectral scanning imaging; second, it is the first time in the world to obtain the fine structure of the solar Hα spectrum line, Si I spectrum line, and Fe I spectrum line in orbit; third, it is the first time in the world to realize the master-slave collaborative non-contact "dual "Super" (ultra-high pointing accuracy, ultra-high stability) satellite platform technology on-orbit performance verification and engineering application; the fourth is to realize the on-orbit application of the world's first solar Hα imaging spectrometer; the fifth is to realize the world's first atomic frequency identification solar speed measurement and navigation On-orbit verification.

5. Other deep space exploration activities

5.1 The James Webb Space Telescope of the United States was successfully deployed and achieved multiple detection results

The American James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an infrared observation space telescope jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. The telescope was successfully launched in December 2021, arrived at the second Lagrangian point in January 2022, and orbited the point in a halo orbit with a radius of 800,000 kilometers.

In February 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope sent back the first photo taken. In July 2022, NASA released the first full-color photos taken by the James Webb Space Telescope more than half a year after its launch. This batch of images covers the most cutting-edge research fields in astronomy such as deep sky galaxy clusters, dense galaxy groups, diffuse nebulae, and exoplanets. In August 2022, the telescope captured the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet. In September 2022, the telescope released its first infrared image of Mars, capturing atmospheric data of the entire planet. In November 2022, the telescope discovered the earliest known galaxy. By observing distant primitive galaxies, the James Webb Space Telescope can determine the evolution process of galaxies, which is of constructive significance for researchers to understand the formation and evolution of the solar system. At the same time, the James Webb Space Telescope uses a powerful observation system to observe relatively dim low-energy brown dwarfs, young protostars and other targets, revealing a hidden universe composed of invisible stars and planets, providing researchers with It provides important help for the exploration of exoplanets and in-depth study of the origin of life on Earth.

5.2 NASA implements the world’s first near-Earth asteroid defense mission

In September 2022, NASA's "Double Asteroid Redirect Test" (DART) spacecraft successfully impacted the satellite "Dimorphos" in the near-Earth binary asteroid system at a speed of 6.5 kilometers per second. The mission is the world's first planetary defense technology test carried out by NASA and aims to verify the feasibility of using kinetic energy impact technology to deflect asteroids from their orbits. NASA said that observation data two weeks after the impact mission showed that the DART spacecraft successfully shortened the orbital period of the target asteroid "Demolvers" by 32 minutes. According to NASA's metric, the minimum requirement for a successful DART mission is to change the orbital period of the target asteroid by 73 seconds, which means the mission's actual results reached more than 25 times the minimum benchmark. The subsequent impact observation activities may last for 6 months, and the asteroid's orbit changes, texture, and impact craters will be measured to accurately assess the impact effect.

5.3 Japan discovered more than 20 kinds of amino acids in samples collected by the asteroid probe Hayabusa-2, confirming the existence of extraterrestrial amino acids for the first time

In June 2022, Japan discovered more than 20 kinds of amino acids in the sand and soil samples of the Ryugu asteroid brought back by its asteroid probe Hayabusa 2. This discovery is the first time humans have confirmed the existence of amino acids outside the Earth. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins and help explore the origins of life. In addition, this discovery may further confirm that life originated in space, that is, the original amino acid molecules on the earth may have been carried into the earth through meteorites.

6. Cutting-edge technologies for deep space exploration

6.1 NASA awards contract for lunar nuclear fission power generation system

In June 2022, NASA worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to select three design concept proposals for the lunar surface nuclear fission power generation system (TheFission Surface Power) and submitted them to Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse and Orix Corporation; A joint venture between Intuitive Machines and X-Energy, Inc.) has been awarded a contract worth approximately $5 million for the preliminary design and development of a 40-kilowatt-class fission power generation system. Compared with other power generation systems, the fission system has the advantages of small size, light weight, high reliability, and the ability to continuously supply power at any location and in various natural environments. According to the plan, the lunar surface nuclear fission power generation system will have lunar demonstration capabilities by the end of the 21st century, and will eventually achieve the goal of operating on the moon for at least 10 years.

6.2 DARPA launches exploration space manufacturing program

In March 2022, DARPA signed a Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials, and Mass-efficient Design (NOM4D) project contract with eight companies and university research teams. The mission goal is Carry out conceptual research on materials science, manufacturing and design technology in the field of space manufacturing to achieve on-orbit manufacturing of future space structures to avoid limitations of rocket launch capabilities. DARPA hopes to realize a model of transporting raw materials from the earth and collecting lunar materials for on-orbit manufacturing. The NOM4D project does not involve building any structures on the lunar surface. All manufacturing processes will be completed in orbital construction facilities, and the final results will also be used for orbital applications.

6.3 DARPA’s “Agile Earth-Moon Space Action Demonstration and Verification Rocket” project continues to advance, providing support for the design and development of nuclear thermal rockets

In May 2022, DARPA released the second and third phase solicitations for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) project to promote the design, development, manufacturing and assembly of nuclear thermal rocket engines. The DRACO project aims to develop new nuclear thermal propulsion technology to solve the limitations of the thrust-to-weight ratio of electric propulsion systems and the propellant efficiency of chemical propulsion systems, laying the foundation for future space operations. The goal of the first phase of the project is to carry out the conceptual design of the nuclear thermal propulsion reactor and propulsion subsystem, as well as the conceptual design of the on-orbit demonstration verification system; the goal of the second phase is to complete the preliminary and detailed design of the demonstration system, and build and Test the nuclear thermal rocket engine; the goal of the third phase is to conduct a full-power on-orbit flight test of the nuclear thermal rocket engine.

Currently, DARPA has awarded first-phase contracts to three U.S. companies, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS), Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin. As of November 2022, GA-EMS has completed the main mission objectives of the first phase of the DRACO Project A mission, including delivering the baseline design of the nuclear thermal propulsion reactor and engine, and successfully testing the high temperature resistance of the nuclear reactor using the NASA Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator components and other key components.

6.4 The U.S. Defense Innovation Group selects U.S. Ultra-Safe Nuclear Energy Company and Avalanche Energy Company to develop small nuclear-powered spacecraft

In May 2022, the U.S. Defense Innovation Group selected two U.S. companies, Ultra-Safe Nuclear Energy and Avalanche Energy, to develop small nuclear-powered spacecraft and plan to conduct space demonstrations in 2027. Among them, Ultra-Safe Nuclear Energy Company will demonstrate a rechargeable encapsulated nuclear radioisotope battery called EmberCore. Avalanche Energy has developed a handheld microfusion reactor called the Orbitron that can be used as a thruster and power source.

6.5 Sandia National Laboratories in the United States designs microgrids for lunar bases

In May 2022, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in the United States reached a cooperation with NASA to design microgrids for future lunar bases. The lab designs electrical system controllers for microgrids at the Lunar Base Mining and Processing Center. The controller maintains uniform voltage levels at different times. The mining facility's microgrid is ultimately connected to the lunar habitation unit's microgrid. Another focus of the lab's work is developing systems to connect mining facilities to residential unit microgrids to maintain grid resilience and robustness.

6.6 The Japanese probe "Equestria" will verify a new thruster using water as propellant

In November 2022, Japan's "Equuleus" probe successfully established communication with the ground and performed its mission as expected. "Equus" is a lunar-terrestrial translational point 6U cubesat jointly developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the University of Tokyo. It was launched at the same time as "Hospitality" aboard the "Artemis"-1 mission SLS launch vehicle. "Equus" is equipped with the "Aquarius" propulsion system, including 8 water thrusters carrying 1.5 kilograms of water propellant for attitude control and maneuver management. In addition, the detector is also equipped with a variety of scientific instruments such as a plasma layer helium ion observation telescope, a 6U lunar impact phenomenon detection camera, and a thermally insulated Earth-lunar object detector. "Equus" will fly to the Earth-Moon Lagrange point to verify orbital maneuvering technology and measure the plasma distribution around the Earth, providing support for studying the radiation environment in the space area around the Earth and testing low-energy trajectory control technology.