This Year, South Korea Is Ready To Launch A Spacecraft To The Moon

South Korea to launch Moon rover mission using SpaceX rocket (Unsplash)

JAKARTA – A number of developed countries are competing to launch spacecraft to explore the Moon. Most recently, South Korea (South Korea) plans to launch its first space expedition this summer.

South Korea is the 7th country in the world to explore the Moon using the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO). The spacecraft will launch this August 2022 and will reach its targeted lunar orbit on December 16, according to a report from SputnikNews.

The plan is that KPLO will be carried by a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX company in Florida. This is a historic step for South Korea's space exploration in the 30 years since the launch of Korea's first satellite, Wooribyul-1, in 1992.

The lunar orbiter will carry out various scientific missions and lunar observations for a period of just one year, and will also send K-pop supergroup BTS's song "Dynamite" to Earth.

In addition, the orbiter will carry NASA cameras and communications equipment developed by South Korea, which will push the country's international status on the space stage to be elevated as it is now on par with lunar explorers such as Russia, the United States, China, Japan, the European Union, and India.