South Korea plans Mars landing in 2045 as it launches first space agency

Korea Aerospace Industries

30/05/2024 09:42

By Jack Kim
       SEOUL, May 30 (Reuters) - South Korea plans to make a
Mars landing by 2045 and spend 100 trillion won ($72.6 billion)
until then on space exploration, President Yoon Suk Yeol said on
Thursday at the launch of the country's first space agency. 
    The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) will lead the
country's "space economy," with hundreds of businesses and
enterprises working to catapult South Korea into the ranks of
the world's top five space powers, Yoon said.
    "KASA will usher in a new space era by cultivating experts
while intensively supporting the aerospace industry ecosystem
and fostering challenging and innovative R&D," Yoon said. The
country's first lunar lander is planned for 2032.
    South Korea became the seventh country to own an indigenous
space launch vehicle and satellite development technology with
the launch of the Nuri rocket in May last year that put a
commercial grade satellite in orbit. 
    The agency is aimed at streamlining policy and development
functions shared among different government ministries and will
bring under its structure the aerospace research institute that
developed the Nuri and its precursor space launch vehicles.
    South Korea plans at least three more space launches by 2027
and has plans to launch military satellites.   
    Yoon's announcement highlights the increasing efforts Asian
nations are putting into space programs for practical reasons,
such as honing rocket technology, and to bolster national pride.
    On Monday, North Korea launched a rocket but failed to put
its second military spy satellite in orbit, which it blamed on a
new type of engine failing. But one expert noted the attempt as
a "huge leap" in the heavily sanctioned country's race for
space.  
    South Korea, Japan and the United States condemned the
North's launch as violating U.N. Security Council resolutions
banning it from developing ballistic missile technology.
    China's space program has developed heavy-lift rockets such
as the Long March 5, the Tiangong space station, unmanned moon
probes and the rover Zhurong that reached Mars in 2021.
    In January, Japan became the fifth country to place a lander
on the moon. Last year, India became the fourth nation to land
on the moon, after Russia failed in an attempt the same month.
    Japan also plans a rover mission to Mars.
    
 ($1 = 1,378.2400 won)

 (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
 ((jack.kim@thomsonreuters.com; +822 6936 1455;))