S. Korea's lunar orbiter on track for launch next year
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's science ministry said Monday the country's first lunar exploration mission is on track for launch in August next year after it strengthened ties with the United States earlier this year in space exploration.
South Korea aims to conduct a yearlong mission to observe the moon through an orbiting spacecraft, with hopes of securing technologies for future space exploration missions.
The Ministry of Science and ICT said it has completed rigging a high-precision camera, developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), on the orbiter, which will gather data of the moon's surface to support the U.S.-led Artemis program.

This file photo, taken May 31, 2021, and provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT, shows researchers testing components of a model of South Korea's lunar orbiter at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
In May, South Korea signed the Artemis Accords, which seek to send astronauts to the moon by 2024 and build a sustainable manned lunar base by 2028.
The ministry said it will receive additional support from NASA for the lunar orbiter mission, including navigation and communications technologies.
The lunar orbiter is scheduled to be completed by October this year and will undergo further testing before its launch in August next year on U.S. private aerospace firm Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s rocket.
South Korea, a relative latecomer to the global space development race, has recently bolstered its space ambitions and is expected to launch its first homegrown space rocket with a mock payload in October.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
BLACKPINK star Jisoo tests positive for COVID-19, to miss world tour stop in Osaka
-
(URGENT) Seoul city sends alert to residents to prepare for evacuation after N. Korea's launch
-
Seoul city sends alert to residents to prepare for possible evacuation after N. Korea's launch
-
N. Korea fires what it claims to be 'space launch vehicle' southward: S. Korean military
-
Flights from typhoon-hit Guam to S. Korea to resume Monday: ministry
-
Fifty Fifty chart on Billboard Hot 100 for 10th week with 'Cupid'
-
BLACKPINK star Jisoo tests positive for COVID-19, to miss world tour stop in Osaka
-
(URGENT) Seoul city sends alert to residents to prepare for evacuation after N. Korea's launch
-
S. Korea slams N. Korea's planned satellite launch, warns of consequences
-
N. Korea fires what it claims to be 'space launch vehicle' southward: S. Korean military
-
Suspect in grisly Busan murder sent to prosecutors for further probe
-
Napoli's Kim Min-jae named Serie A's best defender, makes Team of the Season
-
Military continues salvage operation for North Korean rocket debris
-
(4th LD) S. Korea, U.S., Japan to operate system for sharing real-time N.K. missile warning data 'within this year': Seoul's defense chief
-
(LEAD) Military continues salvage operation for North Korean rocket debris