S. Korean lunar orbiter Danuri takes photos of south pole region reached by Indian spacecraft

All News 12:00 September 12, 2023

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unmanned lunar orbiter Danuri has taken photos of the moon's south pole region that had been reached by the Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-3, the science ministry said Tuesday.

Danuri, which is rotating around the moon 100 kilometers above the surface, took pictures of Shiv Shakti Point, the landing site of Chandrayaan-3, at 7:55 a.m. on Aug. 27, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

This photo shows Shiv Shakti Point, the landing site of Chandrayaan-3, taken by South Korea's lunar orbiter Danuri at 7:55 a.m. on Aug. 27, 2023, provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Chandrayaan-3, the third lunar mission of India's space program, made a successful landing on the moon about 600 kilometers from the south pole on Aug. 23, helping India become the first to land closest to the lunar south pole.

Danuri, South Korea's first lunar orbiter, entered the selenocentric orbit on Dec. 27 last year after 145 days of traveling from Earth and started its operation on Feb. 4 about a month after test runs.

It is assigned to measure the terrain, magnetic strengths, gamma rays and other traits of the lunar surface using six onboard instruments until the end of this year. The orbiter will also identify potential landing sites for future lunar missions.