The president of South Korea has announced that by 2045, a probe developed by his country will land on Mars. In addition, special attention in this country is planned to be paid to the exploration of the Moon.
South Korea plans to reach Mars
South Korea is going to launch a mission to Mars by 2045. This was announced on November 29 by the country’s president Yoon Suk-yeol. A number of other missions are also mentioned in the new roadmap developed for space-related organizations.
The establishment of a conditional or not-so-conventional flag of South Korea should take place in honor of the 100th anniversary of its independence from Japan. But if Mars exploration is more symbolic for Koreans, then the immediate plans are full of realism.
Korea’s plans for the next decade
In particular, the roadmap provides for the creation by the Korean Aerospace Administration (KASA) in the next 5 years of a rocket that will be able to deliver a large automatic probe to the surface of the Moon. This organization is only planned to be created next year, but the government of the country already has high hopes for it.
Next year, South Korea plans to spend almost USD 75 billion on the development of its space program. This is about twice as much as was allocated this year.
In particular, it is planned that by the end of this decade the spacecraft will land on the surface of the Moon. And already in 2032, according to the statements of the president of the country, Korea should start extracting minerals on the surface of the Earth’s moon.
What South Korea has already done
South Korea’s space program has become much more active in recent years. The country is trying to keep up with its neighbors, primarily the DPRK. The main area of work is the test launches of rockets from its own naval spaceport.
In other directions, Korea’s plans are constantly changing. For example, the country had to abandon the launch of a mission to study asteroids. However, the Danuri mission, aimed at studying the Moon from orbit, has been successful so far.
According to Spacewatch.global
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