A few hours ago the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) space probe, which recently received the official name Danuri, blasted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. After just over 40 minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and began the series of maneuvers that will take it into the Moon’s orbit. It’s a long journey planned using what is technically called Ballistic Lunar Transfer (BLT) to optimize efficiency and save the onboard fuel. This means that it will enter the Moon’s orbit only on December 16. If everything works well, Danuri will begin its one-year scientific mission in which its instruments will conduct various surveys.
South Korea is best known for consumer electronics but has been developing its own space program for quite some time. The Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is also developing a completely locally built rocket called Nuri or KSLV-II (Korean Space Launch Vehicle-II). Only in June 2022, Nuri had a successful launch and its use for the Danuri / KPLO mission would have resulted in further delays. The mission was developed in collaboration with NASA and probably also for that reason, eventually, the launch was planned with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The Danuri / KPLO mission is a pathfinder that aims to develop the technologies needed to run space missions and Moon exploration. In this case, the exploration will take place from a lunar polar orbit at an altitude of about 100 kilometers but South Korea has much greater ambitions and intends to be part of future operations also linked to human activities on the Moon and in deep space.
The instruments aboard the Danuri space probe will be used to conduct various surveys to obtain details on the regolith, on the lunar magnetic fields, and on the chemical composition of the Moon’s surface. The NASA-supplied ShadowCam, an evolution of the LROC of the US Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter space probe, will be used to search for water ice deposits.
Another instrument aboard Danuri is the Delay-Tolerant Networking experiment (DTNPL), an interplanetary communications experiment. This is what was called a kind of interplanetary Internet. The management of communications affected by delays caused by distances and resistance to interference will be central to this experiment.
The launch of the Danuri space probe was a success but it’s only the beginning of a long journey on a route that requires precise maneuvers. If everything works well, the arrival in the Moon’s orbit will be an important moment for South Korea.
