Fri, Oct 24, 2008
Chandrayaan-1 To Search For Ice On Moon
Sensing technology developed by Raytheon will help to determine
whether the polar regions of the moon contain ice.
The company's Forerunner miniaturized-radio frequency system was
delivered by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to
the Indian Space Research Organization in March 2008, integrated
onto the nation's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, and
launched into orbit October 22 from the Satish
Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.
Under contract to the US Navy, Raytheon provided the antenna,
transmitter, analog receiver and software for the Forerunner
mini-RF system. The company also supplied system engineering and
integration and test support.
Raytheon provided similar modules and support under the same
contract for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter program. The LRO
spacecraft is currently undergoing environmental testing and is
scheduled for launch in March 2009.
"The responsive space concept holds great promise for many kinds
of future missions, and Raytheon is proud to extend its leading
role in that future with the mini-RF payloads," said Brian Arnold,
vice president for Space Systems. "We're excited to be applying the
lessons from our experience in operationally responsive space to
these important lunar exploration projects."
Raytheon's work on the Forerunner program takes advantage of the
company's prior experience in support of the Department of
Defense's operationally responsive space initiative, which calls
for smaller, less expensive satellites that can provide scientific
or tactical information on an as-needed basis. Because of its low
development cost and miniaturization, the mini-RF technology
provides a wealth of sensing capabilities in a relatively
inexpensive and easily adapted platform.
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