A photo sent from the Nuri space rocket shows the performance verification satellite's separation from the locally developed launch vehicle, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Countdown to lunar exploration starts in earnest

By Park Jae-hyuk

Korea's plan to send a landing module to the Moon by 2031 using a locally developed space rocket has gained momentum thanks to the successful launch of Nuri, according to aerospace experts, Wednesday.

The space rocket, also known as Korean Space Launch Vehicle II (KSLV-II), placed a 1.3-ton dummy satellite and a 162.5-kilogram performance verification satellite into a low orbit of 700 kilometers above the Earth, Tuesday, making Korea become the world's seventh country to put a satellite into geosynchronous orbit with its own launch vehicle.

The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that the performance verification satellite successfully made two-way communication with the ground station at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in Daejeon, at 3:01 a.m. on Wednesday. Starting from next Wednesday, four small cube satellites will be released in a row from the performance verification satellite to conduct various science projects, such as the observation of fine dust and geographical features.

The science ministry and KARI are also preparing for follow-up space missions, including the exploration of the Moon.

"The Nuri is scheduled for its third launch in the first half of 2023," Science Minister Lee Jong-ho told reporters after the successful launch on Tuesday. "Until 2027, a total of four liftoffs will be conducted."