Danuri launch ushers in new era of space exploration for Korea
Korea launched "Danuri," its first mission to the Moon, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the United States, Thursday. The mission, also known as Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), succeeded in making the first communication with a ground station at 9:40 a.m., 92 minutes after the launch, via antennas installed in Canberra, Australia, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced Friday.
Danuri lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a ballistic lunar trajectory. It is set to arrive at the Moon by mid-December and carry out diverse lunar explorations for one year. Equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, it will conduct missions such as Moon mapping, resources explorations and so on.
The launch of the KPLO comes on the heels of the successful liftoff the nation's own rocket, Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-II) or Nuri, to carry satellites into orbit. Should Danuri reach the Moon by the year-end as planned, Korea will become the world's seventh space powerhouse possessing both of its own space launch vehicle and mission.
Danuri, a coinage of "dal and nuri" in Korea, meaning "enjoy Moon," has been an ambitious, seven-year project for Korea at the cost of 236.7 billion won ($182 million). The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) led the project. Many countries have been rushing to discover the Moon to expand their space territories and reap economic profits. The Moon allegedly contains scarce resources such as helium 3 and other rare earth elements that can emerge as highly-lucrative assets for humans. Helium 3, for instance, is a highly efficient fuel of which one gram generates the equivalent of 40 tons of coal in the process of nuclear fusion.
Many nations are also targeting the Moon as the front base for navigation into deep space. Due to lighter gravity, rockets can be launched with less expense. Furthermore, it is possible to operate facilities that can accommodate humans by utilizing water, whose existence was already confirmed. Also, the Moon is a "living museum" showing the past of the Earth. With the state of vacuum paired with a thin atmosphere, it preserves the secret of the Earth's birth four and a half billion years ago.
The U.S. has resumed its Moon exploration program "Artemis" for the first time in 57 years and is poised to launch a manned lunar lander in 2025. It also plans to construct a permanent exploration base there by 2028 to use it as forward base to explore Mars. The EU launched its Moon mission in 2003, followed by Japan in 2007 and India in 2008.
Korea has become the 10th nation that joined the Artemis program. KARI President Lee Sang-ryool said he felt honored to be in charge of the space program. As Lee put it, Korea has ushered in a new era toward a leap in its space program. KARI plans to develop a more powerful rocket to carry a Moon lander by the early 2030s. It is high time for all related sectors such as the government, businesses and academia to combine efforts to enable the nation to jump toward becoming a space powerhouse in the real sense of the word.
Korea launched "Danuri," its first mission to the Moon, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the United States, Thursday. The mission, also known as Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), succeeded in making the first communication with a ground station at 9:40 a.m., 92 minutes after the launch, via antennas installed in Canberra, Australia, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced Friday.
Danuri lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a ballistic lunar trajectory. It is set to arrive at the Moon by mid-December and carry out diverse lunar explorations for one year. Equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, it will conduct missions such as Moon mapping, resources explorations and so on.
The launch of the KPLO comes on the heels of the successful liftoff the nation's own rocket, Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-II) or Nuri, to carry satellites into orbit. Should Danuri reach the Moon by the year-end as planned, Korea will become the world's seventh space powerhouse possessing both of its own space launch vehicle and mission.
Danuri, a coinage of "dal and nuri" in Korea, meaning "enjoy Moon," has been an ambitious, seven-year project for Korea at the cost of 236.7 billion won ($182 million). The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) led the project. Many countries have been rushing to discover the Moon to expand their space territories and reap economic profits. The Moon allegedly contains scarce resources such as helium 3 and other rare earth elements that can emerge as highly-lucrative assets for humans. Helium 3, for instance, is a highly efficient fuel of which one gram generates the equivalent of 40 tons of coal in the process of nuclear fusion.
Many nations are also targeting the Moon as the front base for navigation into deep space. Due to lighter gravity, rockets can be launched with less expense. Furthermore, it is possible to operate facilities that can accommodate humans by utilizing water, whose existence was already confirmed. Also, the Moon is a "living museum" showing the past of the Earth. With the state of vacuum paired with a thin atmosphere, it preserves the secret of the Earth's birth four and a half billion years ago.
The U.S. has resumed its Moon exploration program "Artemis" for the first time in 57 years and is poised to launch a manned lunar lander in 2025. It also plans to construct a permanent exploration base there by 2028 to use it as forward base to explore Mars. The EU launched its Moon mission in 2003, followed by Japan in 2007 and India in 2008.
Korea has become the 10th nation that joined the Artemis program. KARI President Lee Sang-ryool said he felt honored to be in charge of the space program. As Lee put it, Korea has ushered in a new era toward a leap in its space program. KARI plans to develop a more powerful rocket to carry a Moon lander by the early 2030s. It is high time for all related sectors such as the government, businesses and academia to combine efforts to enable the nation to jump toward becoming a space powerhouse in the real sense of the word.
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