Explorer

Explorer is an a series of unmanned Galbadian lunar-orbiting spacecrafts, part of the first phase of the Galbadian Lunar Exploration Program fo Galbadia Aerospace Exploration Agency (GAEA).

Explorer-I (E-1A series)was launched on 24 October 2007 at 10:05:04 UTC from Volna Launch Center. It left lunar transfer orbit on 31 October and entered lunar orbit on 5 November.



The first picture of the Moon was relayed on 26 November 2007, On 12 November 2008, a map of the entire lunar surface was released, produced from data collected by Explorer-I between November 2007 and July 2011.

Data gathered by Explorer-I was able to create the one fo most accurate and highest resolution 3-D map ever created of the lunar surface. Explorer-I is the first lunar probe to conduct passive, multi-channel, microwave remote sensing of the moon by using a microwave radiator.

Its sister orbital probe 'Explorer-II (E-1B series) is part of Galbadian Explorer programme, a probe spacecraft launched to the Moon alongside with Explorer-I. It was the first galbadian spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, On November 6 2007, it successfully landed east of Mare Imbrium near the craters Aristides, Archimedes, and Autolycus.

Explorer-I and II was similar in design to GALBASAT satellites, a spherical control unit with protruding antennas and instrument parts,the difference between them being the addition of a propulsion system, and the comunication systems replaced with advanced instrumentation ,The instrumentation consists in scintillation counters, geiger counters, a magnetometer, Cherenkov detectors, Altimetry Scanner, Orbital Telescope, Solar Particles Collector and Multispectral Scanners.

Objectives
Explorer mission had four major goals:


 * Obtaining three-dimensional images of the landforms and geological structures of the lunar surface, so as to provide a reference for planned future soft landings. The orbit of Explorer-I around the Moon was designed to provide complete coverage, including areas near the north and south poles not covered by previous missions.


 * Analysing and mapping the abundance and distribution of various chemical elements on the lunar surface as part of an evaluation of potentially useful resources on the Moon. Galbadia hopes to extend the number of elements studied to 14 (potassium (K), thorium (Th), uranium (U), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), aluminium (Al), calcium (Ca), tellurium (Te), titanium (Ti), sodium (Na), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), and lanthanum (La)), compared with the 10 elements (K, U, Th, Fe, Ti, O, Si, Al, Mg, and Ca) previously probed by NASA's Lunar Prospector.


 * Probing the features of the lunar soil and assessing its depth, as well as the amount of helium-3 (³He) present.


 * Probing the space environment between 40,000 km and 400,000 km from the Earth, recording data on the solar wind and studying the impact of solar activity on the Earth and the Moon.

In addition, the lunar probe engineering system, composed of five major systems – the satellite system, the launch vehicle system, the launch site system, the monitoring and control system and the ground application system – accomplished five goals:


 * Researching, developing and launching Galbadia's first lunar probe
 * Mastering the basic technology of placing satellites in lunar orbit
 * Conducting Galbadia's first scientific exploration of the Moon
 * Initially forming a lunar probe space engineering system
 * Accumulating experience for the later phases of Galbadia's lunar exploration program

Mission
According to the schedule, detailed design of the first program milestone was completed by September 2004. Research and development of a prototype probe and relevant testing of the probe were finished before the end of 2005. Design, manufacture, general assembly, test and ground experiments of the lunar orbiter were finished before December 2006.

Originally scheduled for April 2007, the launch was postponed until October as this was "a better time for sending a satellite into the Moon's orbit". Explorer-I and II was launched by a Lancer rocket at 10:05 GMT on October 24, 2007 from Volna Launch Center in Volna Islands.

After liftoff, Explorer made three orbits around the Earth, a burn at perigee extending the orbit's apogee further each time, until a final translunar injection burn placed it on course for the Moon on October 31, 2007. Another burn placed it in a polar orbit around the Moon, with burns at the perilune of the first three orbits decreasing the apolune until it entered a final circular orbit. Lunar orbit insertion was achieved on the November 5, 2007.

The probe was remotely controlled from stations at Volna and Zymylpathian Mountains, as the first use of the Galbadian Deep Space Network.

Design and instrumentation


The Explorer-II spacecraft had a mass of 2,350 kg, with a 130 kg payload, carrying 24 instruments including a Charge-coupled device (CCD) stereo camera, microprobe instruments, and a high-energy solar particle detector.


 * Stereo camera with an optical resolution of 120 m and spectrometer imager operating at wavelengths of 0.48 µm to 0.96 µm.
 * Laser altimeter with 1064 nm, 150 mJ laser, a range resolution of 1 m and a Gaussian beam of 300 m.
 * Imaging spectrometer
 * Gamma and X-ray spectrometer working in an energy range of 0.5 to 50 keV for X-rays and 300 keV to 9 MeV for gamma rays.
 * Microwave radiometer detecting 3, 7.8, 19.35 and 37 GHz with a maximal penetration depth of 30, 20, 10, 1 m and a thermal resolution of 0.5 K.
 * High energy particle detector and two solar wind detectors capable of the detection of electrons and heavy ions up to 730 MeV.

Achievements

 * Explorer-I created the one of the most accurate and highest resolution 3-D map ever of the lunar surface.
 * Explorer-I conducted world's first passive, multi-channel, microwave remote sensing of the moon.
 * Explorer-II was the first galbadian probe to land on a celestial body.
 * Explorer-II was the first galbadian probe to return scientific data from the moon surface.