The Moon is the ultimate high ground and the Chinese are hoping to set precedents on how to control this high ground by maintaining a continuous human presence first:
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket prepares to be transferred to the launching area of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Oct. 7, 2021. (Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua via AP)
If China were to be the first to land its astronauts, sometimes known as taikonauts, it could gain the advantage in “establishing the rules of the road for how this new era of exploration will work,” said Todd Harrison, a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“We want to be there establishing precedent for mining of materials on the moon and how that’s done for making claims to materials and property rights,” he said. “We want to do that in a way that’s consistent with our values and our economic system. And if China gets there first, they will get to set precedent that’s based on their values and their economic system.”
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but this is why I have always felt we need to secure a U.S. presence on the Moon first before Mars.
Here is an update on South Korea’s first lunar orbiter:
South Korea’s unmanned space vehicle Danuri has sent photos of the moon’s far side during its mission to collect selenographic data, the science ministry said Wednesday.
Danuri, which is rotating around the moon 100 kilometers above the surface, took pictures of the Tsiolkovskiy crater on March 22 and the Vallis Schrodinger and Szilard M craters each on March 24 with its high-definition cameras, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).
They are the first photos of the moon’s far side that South Korea has taken.
On top of that, Danuri has sent separate photos taken with its wide-angle polarimetric camera, PolCam for short, designed to study the moon’s surface composition and its volcanic deposits through measuring the degree of polarization.
The science ministry said people can check the real-time location of Danuri on the lunar orbit, along with its photos and collected data, on the orbiter’s website (http://www.kari.re.kr/kplo).
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
2045 is a long ways off so I will believe it when I see it, however I do agree the space economy will be the next big economic driver for those who have the technology to access it:
Korea will launch a space mission to Mars no later than 2045, according to a roadmap for the nation’s space mission unveiled by President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday.
Korea Times
“A country having a space mission will lead the world economy and be able to resolve challenges human beings are facing,” Yoon said during an event to announce the country’s roadmap for the space economy at the JW Marriot Hotel in Seoul.
The space economy refers to the economy beyond our planet, including exploring deep space, extracting resources that are rare on Earth and developing technologies necessary for space exploration.
“The dream of becoming a powerhouse in space is not distant. It will be an opportunity and hope for children and the youth,” he added.
You can read more at the link.
Congratulations to everyone at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute that helped developed this successful rocket:
South Korea on Tuesday successfully launched its homegrown space rocket Nuri in the second attempt to put satellites into orbit, reaching a major milestone in the country’s space program.
The 200-ton Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, blasted off from the Naro Space Center in the country’s southern coastal village of Goheung at 3:59:59.9 p.m. and successfully completed its flight sequence, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The rocket also deployed satellites at the target altitude of 700 kilometers as planned. Of those, a performance verification satellite successfully reached its orbit, according to officials.
According to Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Nuri’s first stage rocket separated 123 seconds after launch at an altitude of 62 kilometers, followed by its fairing and second stage rocket separations at altitudes of 202 kilometers and 273 kilometers, respectively.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but I believe that space technology is the next major growth market and South Korea is trying to develop the rocket technology to be part of that market.
I guess we will see if NASA’s budget will continue to be supported to actually put a person on the Moon this decade:
Japan revised the schedule of its space exploration plans on Tuesday, aiming to put a Japanese person on the moon by the latter half of the 2020s.
Korea Times
“Not only is space a frontier that gives people hopes and dreams but it also provides a crucial foundation to our economic society with respect to our economic security,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a meeting to finalize the plan.
According to the draft schedule of the plan, Japan aims to put the first non-American on the moon as part of the Artemis program, a U.S.-led initiative that aims to return astronauts to the moon.
You can read more at the link.
