This file photo, taken Dec. 4, 2023, shows the country’s third launch of a solid-fuel space rocket from a barge floating in waters about 4 kilometers south of Jeju Island, successfully placing a small Earth observation satellite into orbit at an altitude of about 650 km. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea aims to build a lunar base by 2045 under its new long-term national space exploration roadmap, the country’s space agency said Thursday.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) revealed the country’s latest space exploration vision during a public hearing at the National Research Foundation of Korea in the central city of Daejeon.
The roadmap categorizes exploration areas into Earth orbit, moon, heliosphere and deep space, and outlines five core missions, including low-Earth orbit and microgravity exploration, lunar exploration, and solar and space science missions.
In the lunar sector, KASA said it aims to develop independent landing and mobility technologies, utilize lunar resources and construct infrastructure for economic activities.
By 2040, it plans to develop a next-generation lunar lander for logistics, with the goal of building a lunar economic base by 2045.
For solar and heliosphere exploration, the roadmap calls for the development of probes to monitor solar activity and enhance space safety.
KASA also envisions a mission to deploy a solar observation satellite to the so-called Lagrange point L4, where the gravitational forces of the sun and Earth are balanced, by 2035.
(Yonhap)
