Danuri Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit... Seventh in the World

Confirmed Successful Lunar Orbit Insertion at 6 PM Yesterday
Onboard Computer and Attitude Control Sensors Operating Normally
Moon Orbits Every 2 Hours

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] South Korea's first lunar orbiter, 'Danuri' (KPLO·Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter), has successfully entered lunar orbit.

On the 28th, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced that they confirmed the final success of Danuri's lunar orbit insertion at 6 p.m. the previous day.

After performing the 'mission orbit insertion maneuver,' which uses thrusters to reduce speed and settle into the third lunar mission orbit, Danuri is orbiting the targeted lunar mission orbit at a speed of 1.62 km/s approximately every 2 hours.

All of Danuri's onboard systems, including the onboard computer and attitude control sensors, are operating normally, and the remaining fuel for next year's mission (93 kg out of a total of 260 kg) has been confirmed to be sufficient.

Danuri will adjust its attitude so that its payload faces the lunar surface and conduct lunar surface exploration throughout next year. First, until the end of January next year, it will perform tasks to verify the payload's performance and correct errors and distortions.

From February onward, it will carry out full-scale scientific and technological missions such as lunar scientific research including polarized imaging of the lunar surface, magnetic field and radiation observations, and verification of space internet technology. In particular, the high-resolution camera images of the lunar surface will be used to select landing candidate sites for the lunar lander in 2032.

Oh Tae-seok, 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "South Korea has taken its first step in the history of space exploration as the seventh country to explore the moon," adding, "Over the next 10 years, by 2032, we will continue to develop South Korea's space development capabilities, including launching a lunar lander with our own launch vehicle."

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