Korean Lunar Probe 'Sunnhang' Scheduled for Launch in August Next Year... US ShadowCam Installed

Scheduled for launch in August next year to explore the lunar surface
Leading the Artemis program, humanity's second crewed lunar exploration
Exploring the Moon's polar permanent shadowed regions to select Artemis landing sites

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The launch operation of Korea's first lunar exploration orbiter (KPLO), scheduled for August next year, is progressing smoothly.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 30th that the KLPS, being developed with a target launch date of August next year, has completed the installation of the Shadow Cam produced by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

This camera was developed for the preliminary exploration of permanently shadowed regions at the lunar poles, designated as the landing site for humanity's second manned lunar exploration mission, the Artemis project. NASA plans to use this camera to create maps of the lunar polar regions and determine the landing site for the Artemis lunar lander. It is a high-precision imaging camera capable of capturing images in permanently shadowed areas where sunlight does not reach.

Earlier, Korea signed the 'Artemis Accords' to participate in the 'Artemis Program' through an agreement at the Korea-U.S. summit in May. This program involves 12 countries, including Korea, aiming to send astronauts to the moon by 2024 and build a sustainable manned base on the moon by 2028. Korea plans to receive deep space navigation and deep space communication technologies, areas where the U.S. has strengths, through cooperation with NASA.

The KPLO, developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), is scheduled to launch in August next year. It will orbit the moon for one year, carrying out lunar exploration missions and securing and verifying space exploration base technologies. For lunar exploration, NASA will provide navigation technology to send the lunar orbiter into lunar orbit and communication technology to exchange information over long distances from Earth. In return, Korea will support NASA's Artemis program by measuring the presence of water or resources and geological characteristics through the Shadow Cam installed on the KLPS.

The KPLO is expected to complete assembly by October, and after environmental testing and final inspections, it will be launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in August next year. Weighing 678 kg, it will orbit the moon in a circular orbit at an altitude of 100 km for one year while performing lunar exploration missions. Using a high-resolution camera developed by KARI, it will review candidate landing sites for Korea's lunar lander planned for 2030, and analyze lunar surface particles with a wide-field polarization camera developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. A magnetometer developed by Kyung Hee University will study the origin of the moon, and a gamma-ray spectrometer from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources will explore the presence of lunar surface resources. The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) will also test space internet for deep space exploration.

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