S.Korea to put self-developed lander on moon by 2032

South Korea plans to put its first lunar lander on the moon by 2032. 

In a meeting of the National R&D Project Evaluation Advisory Committee, the Ministry of Science and ICT on Monday said the second phase of its lunar exploration project, namely development of the lander, passed a preliminary feasibility study. The venture will span 10 years from next year with a budget of 530.3 billion won ($393.4 million).

The nation will independently design and produce the 1.8-ton craft and launch it on a cutting-edge rocket. Research and development of the project begin next year and its design will be finished by 2028.

The ministry said a test probe to confirm a soft lunar landing will come first in 2031, followed by the lander the following year.

The goal is to get the lander to autonomously detach itself from its launch vehicle, the successor to the nation’s homegrown three-stage rocket Nuri. The lander will independently conduct the entire process from navigation from Earth to the moon and landing on and exploring the lunar surface.

The ministry said it will localize the propulsion system, the heart of the space probe, through the project and domestically develop key landing technologies like obstacle detection and avoidance and navigation systems.

To raise the odds of the mission’s success, landing test facilities on the ground will be built with sufficient testing and verification conducted. The lander’s sci-tech missions on the moon will be decided after consultations with industry, academia and think tanks.

Write to Jin-Won Kim at jin1@hankyung.com