South Korea plans to build a base on the moon
China, India, and Japan is not the only countries in the Asian continent seeking to establish themselves in the new space economy. South Korea also wants to be in the space race and even intends to be outside the ground, with ambitions to establish its lunar base over 20 years.
At a public meeting held on July 17 at the National Foundation of Korea Research, the South Korean Aerospace Bureau (KASA) released a roadmap, which proposes “five main missions, including the circuit and exploration of micrograms, lunar exploration and solar and space science missions.” “
Casa had earlier proposed to put a robotic robotic robotics on the lunar level by 2032, but the new original program is much ambitious, including the development of a new lunar by 2040, as well as the construction of a lunar economic base by 2045.
The Republic of Korea does not start in the field of lunar exploration from the beginning. In mid -2022, the referee set up its first lunar probe and placed in a Spacex Falcon 9 missile. Danouri later reached the lunar orbit in the same year and is still in operation and studies the natural resources of the moon with his own set of tools. It is also intended to test the space technology used by KASA in future missions.
This mission was part of the first phase of the Korean Lunar Exploration Program. The second phase consists of launch in 2032 the aforementioned robotic module, as well as another lunar orbit and a 20 kg rover. This second step will no longer rely on the Spacex missile or even a pad on the US soil. Instead, the mission is launched using the country’s KSLV-III missile, which is still under development, from the Naro Space Center, on the southern coast of the Republic of Korea.
The Korean Institute of Earth Sciences and Mining Resources helps with the establishment of a prototype of lunar processes in abandoned coal mines to evaluate technologies that can be used in future space mining work.
Casa I am NASA
KASA was recently created by the South Korean government in May 2024 as NASA’s internal version. It is currently overseeing the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which has been in charge of developing aerospace technologies since its establishment in 1989. The both the Republic’s National Space Research Organization, the Korean Institute of Astronomy and Space Sciences are now KASA. South Korea seeks to put it among the top five countries in the field of space exploration with its new special agency and the private sector.
KASA also considers a module on Mars in 2045, as well as the development of probes to monitor solar activity and improve space security, including 2035, the establishment of solar satellite at the L4 Lagrange point (a sustainable space in space where small objects are located in place by Earth’s pioneers).
South Korea, of course, is not the only country seeking to build a lunar base until the middle of this century or the development of the infrastructure of the space economy. Through the Artemis program, NASA plans to set up a lunar base over the next decade – if political conflicts do not prevent the project.
China, in cooperation with Russia and other countries, has set its goal to build a lunar base by 2045. India has also set up its views on the moon and has placed programs for its base until 2047.
This story appeared first Wired en español And translated from Spanish.
