[Reading Science] "Gajua, to the Moon"... Korean Private Space Industry Aims for Soaring Success

US-Led Artemis Project Gains Momentum
South Korea Joins Late but Expects Boost in Space Development Industry

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The ‘Moon’ is rising. The Moon is once again drawing attention as a testing ground for humanity’s greater future. It is expected to become an outpost for honing exploration technologies that can travel to distant planets and space like Mars and extract scarce resources.

◇Why the Moon?

Located about 400,000 km from Earth, the Moon is no longer just a place where the ‘Moon Rabbit’ pounds rice cakes and jars play. It is becoming a ‘habitat’ where humanity builds bases and countries fiercely compete to pioneer a new future through resource acquisition and space development. The lunar surface contains silicon, oxygen, glass formed by meteorite impacts, and small amounts of gases (hydrogen) from solar wind. In 2009, India’s lunar orbiter revealed that a large amount of water might be buried underground near the Moon’s south pole.

Analysis of lunar rocks collected during NASA’s Apollo program, a manned lunar exploration project in the 1970s, showed that basalt from the lunar mare contains a large amount of titanium. The presence of minerals such as plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine was also confirmed. Since the Moon’s gravity is only one-sixth that of Earth, constructing heavy large-scale structures is easier. Analysis of seismometers installed during the Apollo program revealed that the lunar surface is very stable. The surface is covered with very fine dust soil, making mineral mining very easy. In other words, there is a high possibility for humans to reside there long-term. Especially when space travel becomes full-scale, operating shuttles between the Moon and Earth and launching space passenger ships from the Moon can drastically reduce costs, making it a potential intermediate stop.

◇Moon development reignited after 50 years

The Moon landing race between the US and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War in the 1960s and 70s was aimed at satisfying ‘curiosity’ and developing space technology itself. However, over 50 years later, with advanced technology, the goal of extracting water, oxygen, and resources from the Moon to serve as an outpost for deep space exploration such as Mars is becoming a reality.

The US Artemis program is a representative example. The US planned the ‘Artemis’ project, involving a budget of about 40 trillion won and over 3,800 companies, to resume manned lunar exploration, which had been halted after Apollo 17 in 1972. By 2024, a pair of astronauts, one male and one female, are scheduled to land on the Moon’s south pole. Ten countries and leading aerospace companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and Blue Origin are participating. This is not just a simple landing event. The plan is to explore water and resources within the 2020s, build a base where humans can stay for 2-3 months, and use it as a mid-point base for Mars exploration in the long term. The US also plans to build the Lunar Gateway in lunar orbit to replace the International Space Station (ISS), which will be decommissioned in 2024.

However, there are concerns that the 2024 lunar landing might be at risk as more than half of NASA’s requested budget for this year has been cut. Nevertheless, NASA recently unveiled the lunar exploration rover VIPER, which cost about 850 billion won, and projects are accelerating with Lockheed Martin and GM announcing joint development of lunar rovers.

Meanwhile, among the 18 astronaut candidates selected for lunar landing last December, Jonny Kim (37), a Korean-American, attracted attention. Jonny Kim is from a Korean immigrant family in Los Angeles, graduated from Harvard University, served as a Navy SEAL in the US Marine Corps, and is a surgeon. After receiving two military honors, he was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, completed training, and is currently waiting for mission assignment as a final candidate for the Artemis program. NASA is reportedly prioritizing women and people of color for the seventh lunar landing, increasing his chances of final selection.

Artemis is also part of the US-led reorganization of the space development order. The US openly declared last October, when signing the Artemis Accords, that China would be excluded. In response, China signed an agreement with Russia in March to cooperate on lunar exploration and space station usage.

◇Korea’s belated role

On the 21st of last month (local US time), Korea agreed to join the Artemis Accords at the Korea-US summit held in Washington, becoming the 10th participating country. Korea’s late participation means it will not directly participate or contribute to the 2024 lunar landing. This contrasts with other participating countries that have clear roles under NASA’s ‘Artemis Plan.’ Canada provides advanced robotics technology needed for building the Lunar Gateway, and the European Space Agency (ESA), including the UK and Italy, handles lunar habitation modules, communication technology, scientific payloads, lunar observation CubeSats, and fuel supply. Japan also provides supplies necessary for astronaut habitation.

However, Korea will play a vanguard role through the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), scheduled for launch in August next year. KPLO carries a shadow camera jointly developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and NASA to scout landing sites for the Artemis lander. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute is also developing scientific payloads for lunar surface observation and scientific missions, participating in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which sends payloads on commercial lunar landers for the Artemis program. By participating in Lunar Gateway construction and, in the long term, lunar base construction, Korea is opening a new chapter for fostering the private space industry and international cooperation in space. On the 31st of last month, Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hye-sook visited the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and stated, “We will expand investment in space development on the occasion of joining the Artemis Accords.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.