South Korea will launch its first lunar mission on August 2

South Korea is another country joining the race to reach the moon. In addition to the United States that is already preparing for its return with Artemis mission from NASA, India also hopes to land There in the same month. South Korea hopes to launch the Moon Watcher on August 2.

its name Korean Pathfinder Orbiter, or KPLOAnd initially, this unmanned probe was scheduled to launch in December 2020. The KPLO mission will last for about a year and will be dedicated to observing the lunar surface 100 km from the satellite, according to the currySouth Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

The Lunar Orbiter carries a total of six payloads and Take off on a Falcon 9, an Elon Musk SpaceX ship, on August 2. Among its units it has Multiple cameras: Kunar Terrain Imager, wide angle, magnetometer, gamma ray spectrometer, and network interruption resistance for contact.

Similarly, KPLO, which Weighs about 678 kgIt has ShadowCam, a high-sensitivity camera created by NASA. This tool will take pictures of the shaded areas of the moon.

What will Korea’s lunar mission consist of?

KPLO has about tTechnologies that adapt to the harsh environment of the moon To precisely control its flight and entry into orbit. This observer will approach the Moon “using the close astrophysical gravity of the Sun and Earth,” as detailed by KARI.

After entering orbit, KPLO experts and developers hope that their units Start photographing the surface of the moon To measure its magnetic strength and search for potential landing sites in the future. In addition, he will also be responsible for Natural Resources Assessment From the satellite, such as water ice, uranium, helium-3, silicon and aluminum.

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