South Korea’s moon probe: “Danuri” sends the first images from space

Status: 03.01.2023 2:00 p.m

South Korea’s first lunar probe has sent spectacular images of Earth and the moon’s surface. They should also help to find possible landing sites for a moon landing in 2032.

South Korea has released spectacular images of the moon’s surface and Earth, provided by South Korea’s first lunar probe, Danuri. “Danuri” took the black-and-white images between December 24 and January 1, the Kari Space Research Institute said. They were shot at a distance of 120 kilometers from the moon. South Korea also wants to use the images to identify possible landing sites for a moon landing in 2032.

The real mission is just beginning

According to South Korea’s space center, “Danuri” takes two hours to orbit the moon. The probe will begin its actual scientific mission next month. It will map and analyze the lunar surface and measure magnetic and gamma radiation.

South Korea launched its first self-developed space rocket in June. In order to bring “Danuri” into space, a “Falcon-9” rocket from the private space company SpaceX was used by Elon Musk in August. She started with the probe on board from the Cape Canaveral Cosmodrome in the US state of Florida.

In Asia, China, Japan and India already have advanced space programs. In addition to the moon landing in 2032, South Korea is already planning a Mars mission in 2045.

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