In Cooperation with NASA
The Diplomat reported on Sept. 4 that South Korea’s first lunar orbiter will be launched in August next year in cooperation with NASA. On Aug. 30, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the lunar orbiter currently in the process of development is now equipped with NASA’s high-precision camera for lunar surface research.
South Korea joined the Artemis Accords in May this year. The agreement concluded in 2017 by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is to build a lunar gateway by international cooperation. The high-precision camera of the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter is to collect lunar surface data as a part of the accords.
Until recently, South Korea’s space exploration programs were limited by U.S. missile guidelines on the ranges and weights of ballistic missiles and so on. South Korea’s first artificial satellite was launched in 2013 in cooperation with Russia. The United States decide early this year to lift the guidelines and South Korea is planning to accelerate its space development programs.