Presidential Office to Announce Roadmap for Next-Generation Launch Vehicle and Lunar Lander Development Within the Year

Establishment of Aerospace Administration... "Need to Secure Public Consensus, Design Based on Experts and Government Departments' Opinions"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The 'Future Space Economy Roadmap,' which includes the development of next-generation launch vehicles, lunar landers, and lunar exploration robot technology, will be announced within this year. For some projects, preliminary feasibility studies have already begun, and work is underway to secure budget allocation.

On the 7th, a presidential office official stated at the Yongsan Presidential Office briefing, "The consecutive successes of Nuriho and Danuriho in space advancement have proudly placed South Korea among the world's top seven space powers. To rise as a space power, we plan to establish a stronger and more detailed space development strategy and immediately begin its implementation," revealing these plans.

Regarding the next-generation launch vehicle, it was explained that a preliminary feasibility study has been underway since May, aiming for development by 2031, with efforts to include the budget in next year's National Assembly deliberations. The next-generation launch vehicle is a rocket capable of carrying not only low Earth orbit satellites but also large geostationary satellites and lunar landers.

As for the lunar lander, planning is currently underway with the goal of starting development in 2024. The official emphasized, "Globally, lunar exploration competition has resumed after about 50 years," adding, "It is emerging as a symbol and reality of national power and public pride, encompassing economic and security values." He continued, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration plans to establish the Aerospace Administration to enable future generations to freely pursue their dreams, aiming to secure space technology and lead the space economy with concrete strategies."

Regarding the establishment of the Aerospace Administration, he said, "We will design it after consulting various experts and government departments and securing sufficient public consensus before announcing it." On the possibility of developing a manned lunar exploration vehicle, he stated, "As seen with Danuriho, South Korea has considerable competitiveness in the satellite sector, and although we have entered the ranks of the top seven space powers through Nuriho, we are still focused on low Earth orbit satellites," adding, "The rest are just at the starting stage, and manned lunar exploration is cautiously in the planning phase."

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