The first South Korean lunar space probe “Danuri” took off Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Florida (USA). This is a milestone in the history of space exploration for South Korea, which could become the seventh country to launch an unmanned probe to the moon.
Carried by a Falcon 9 rocket from the SpaceX group, the Danuri orbiter (a contraction of “Dal”, which means Moon, and “Nuri”, which means profit) must arrive near the Moon in mid-December. His mission is to last a year.
“This is a very important milestone in the history of Korean space exploration,” said Lee Sang-ryool, president of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), in a pre-launch video. .
Other ambitions
According to South Korean scientists, Danuri, whose construction took seven years and cost the equivalent of more than 1.4 billion francs, will pave the way for more ambitious goals. South Korea plans to land a probe on the lunar surface by 2030.
“Danuri is just the beginning. If we are even more determined and committed to developing technologies for space travel, we will be able to reach Mars in the near future,” predicted Lee Sang-ryool.
Wireless connection to stream BTS
During the mission, Danuri will use six different instruments, including an ultra-sensitive camera provided by NASA, which will be used in particular to study the lunar surface in order to identify landing sites for future missions. Danuri must also test, in a world first according to the South Korean government, a new networked space communications system resistant to disturbances.
The probe will also attempt to set up a wireless Internet environment intended to link satellites or exploration vehicles through space. This wireless connection in space will be tested by streaming the song “Dynamite” by cult K-pop group BTS.
“Moment capital”
“If this mission is successful, South Korea will become the seventh country in the world to have launched an unmanned probe to the Moon,” a KARI official told AFP. “This is a pivotal moment for South Korea’s space development program, and we hope to continue contributing to the global understanding of the Moon with what Danuri will discover,” added the KARI president.
After a first failure last October, South Korea successfully launched the first nationally-designed space rocket in June, which put several satellites into orbit.
>> Watch the launch video on Youtube (Korea Now):
ats/jop