South Korea plans to build a base on the moon

China, India, and The only nations on the Asian continent are not the only nations that are trying to establish themselves in the fledgling world. space economy. South Korea He also hopes to plan to take part in space races and exist beyond Earth’s orbit with the ambition to create his own lunar base within 20 years.

At a public meeting held at the National Research Foundation of Korea on July 17, the Korean Aeronautics and Space Administration (KASA) released a roadmap proposing “five core missions including low-earth orbit and microgravity exploration, lunar exploration, and solar and space science missions.” It has been reported.

I didn’t have it Already proposed Although robot landers will be placed on the lunar surface by 2032, the new master plan is much more ambitious, including the development of new lunar landers by 2040 and the construction of a lunar economic foundation by 2045.

The Republic of Korea has not started from scratch in the field of lunar exploration. The country was launched in mid-2022 Danurithat first moon probe, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Danulli reached the lunar orbit later that year, and is still in operation, studying the lunar natural resources with a series of instruments. It also aims to test the space technology KASA will use in future missions.

This mission was part of the first phase of South Korea’s Moonlight Exploration Program. Phase 2 includes the 2032 launch of the aforementioned robot module, as well as another moon orbiter and a 20 kilogram-weight rover. This second phase will no longer rely on SpaceX rockets and US soil pads. Rather, the mission will be launched from the Naro Space Center on South Korea’s south coast using the KSLV-III rocket in the country still under development.

The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources is supporting preparation by deploying prototype lunar rovers in abandoned coal mines by evaluating technologies that can be used in future space mining tasks.

My casa is your NASA

The Casa was recently created as a domestic version by the South Korean government in May 2024. NASA. Currently, he oversees the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which has been handling the country’s aerospace technology development since its founding in 1989. Kari and the Republic’s National Institute of Space Research, the Korean Institute of Astronomical and Space Sciences, is currently a sub-aogen of Kasa. With new special agencies and support from the private sector, South Korea is trying to position itself among the top five countries in the space exploration field.

KASA also envisions the development of probes to land a module on MARS in 2045 to monitor solar activity and improve space security, including the deployment of solar observation satellites at L4 Lagrange Point by 2035.

Of course, South Korea is not just a country that is trying to build lunar bases or develop infrastructure for the space economy by the middle of this century. Through Artemis The program, NASA, is planning to establish the foundation for the moon within the next 10 years. Political conflict Don’t let that project go off track.

China has set its goal of laying the foundation for the moon by 2045, working with Russia and other countries. India is also aiming for the moon and plans to base its own by 2047.

This story originally appeared Wired In Spanish Translated from Spanish.