South Korea launches first lunar orbiter as space offerings gather pace

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SEOUL — South Korea launched its first lunar orbiter on Friday as it doubles its space programs and aims to land a probe on the moon by 2030.

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, nicknamed Danuri, meaning “enjoying the moon,” was launched Friday at 8:08 a.m. (Thursday 2308 GMT) on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the US Space Force Station Cape Canaveral in Florida , the South Korean Ministry of Science announced .

The 1,500 lb (678 kg) Danuri separated from the projectile about 40 minutes after launch and began communicating with a ground station at about 9:40 am

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“Analysis of the information received confirmed…Danuri was functioning normally,” Vice Science Minister Oh Tae-seog said at a briefing, announcing that the orbiter had established a trajectory toward the moon.

It will enter the moon’s orbit in December before beginning a year-long observation mission, including finding a landing pad and testing space internet technology, the ministry said.

If successful, South Korea will become the seventh lunar explorer in the world and fourth in Asia, behind China, Japan and India.

The launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was delayed due to a maintenance issue with the SpaceX rocket.

South Korea has accelerated its space program, aiming to send a probe to the moon by 2030. It has also joined the Artemis Project, which aims to return to the moon by 2024.

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In July, South Korea conducted a second test launch of its domestically-made Nuri rocket and in March reported its first successful launch of a solid-fuel space rocket as part of an effort to launch spy satellites.

Space launches have long been a sensitive issue on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea faces international sanctions over its nuclear-armed ballistic missile program.

In March, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un called for expanding its space rocket launch pad to boost its space ambitions after South Korea and the United States accused it of testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile under the guise of launching a spacecraft.

South Korea says its space program is for peaceful and scientific purposes, and any military use of the technology, such as in spy satellites, is for its defense. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Robert Birsel and Edmund Klamann)