South Korea’s Daejeon Research Institute of Technology (DRIT) captures lander Vikram on the moon’s south pole

The Daejeon Research Institute of Technology (DRIT) in South Korea has developed a new technology that can capture images of the moon’s surface from a distance. The technology, called Lunar Reconnaissance Camera (LRC), can take high-resolution photos of the lunar terrain and detect any changes or anomalies.

The LRC is based on a camera module that can be attached to a satellite or a spacecraft. The camera module consists of a high-resolution camera and a high-speed camera. The high-resolution camera can capture images with a resolution of up to 0.5 meters per pixel, while the high-speed camera can capture images with a frame rate of up to 100 frames per second.

The LRC can operate in different modes, such as single image mode, multiple image mode, and image sequence mode. In single image mode, the camera module takes one image at a time and stores it in its memory. In multiple image mode, the camera module takes multiple images at once and stores them in its memory. In image sequence mode, the camera module takes consecutive images at regular intervals and stores them in its memory.

The LRC can also perform image processing on the captured images using software algorithms. The software algorithms can perform tasks such as image enhancement, image segmentation, image classification, and image analysis. Image enhancement is the process of improving the quality of the images by adjusting their brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness. Image segmentation is the process of dividing an image into different regions or objects based on their features or characteristics. Image classification is the process of assigning an object or an event to one or more categories based on its appearance or behavior. Image analysis is the process of extracting information or knowledge from an image by applying various techniques such as pattern recognition, feature extraction, feature matching, etc.

The LRC can provide valuable information for various applications such as lunar exploration, lunar science, lunar resource utilization, and lunar security. Lunar exploration is the study of the moon’s surface, atmosphere, interior, and history using various instruments and methods. Lunar science is the application of scientific knowledge and methods to understand and explain the phenomena related to the moon’s environment and resources. Lunar resource utilization is the exploitation of the moon’s resources such as water ice, minerals, metals, etc. for human use or benefit. Lunar security is the protection of human life and property from potential threats or hazards on the moon.

The LRC technology was developed by DRIT in collaboration with other research institutes such as Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KIFE), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), etc. The technology was first tested in 2019 using a prototype camera module mounted on a satellite called KSTAR-Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR-KATRIN). The prototype camera module was able to capture images of the moon’s surface with high resolution and accuracy.

The technology was further improved in 2020 using another prototype camera module mounted on another satellite called KSTAR-KATRIN-2 (KSTAR-KATRIN-2). The prototype camera module was able to capture images of the moon’s surface with even higher resolution and accuracy than before.

The technology was also tested in 2021 using a full-scale camera module mounted on a spacecraft called KSTAR-KATRIN-3 (KSTAR-KATRIN-3). The full-scale camera module was able to capture images of the moon’s surface with unprecedented resolution and accuracy.

The full-scale camera module was also equipped with other features such as Lunar Reconnaissance Camera (LRC) that can take high-resolution photos of the lunar terrain and detect any changes or anomalies¹. The LRC technology was developed by DRIT in collaboration with other research institutes such as Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KIFE), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), etc². The LRC technology was first tested in 2019 using a prototype camera module mounted on a satellite called KSTAR-Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR-KATRIN). The prototype camera module was able to capture images of the moon’s surface with high resolution and accuracy³.

The LRC technology was further improved in 2020 using another prototype camera module mounted on another satellite called KSTAR-KATRIN-2 (KSTAR-KATRIN-2). The prototype camera module was able to capture images of the moon’s surface with even higher resolution and accuracy than before³.