South Korea launches its first lunar orbiter ‘Danuri’
- South Korea launched its first lunar orbiter or ‘Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter’ on August 05, 2022.
- This move is in line with the vision to land a probe on the moon by 2030.
- The 678 kg (1,495 lb) Orbiter is nicknamed as Danuri, which means “Enjoy the Moon”.
- The launch took place on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force Station.
- Danuri will enter the moon’s orbit in December 2022 and then start a yearlong observation mission, comprising of searching for a landing site and testing space internet technology.
- Once the mission is successful, South Korea will become the only seventh lunar explorer country in the world and the fourth in Asia, after China, Japan and India.
Source : Reuters