South Korea is actively expanding its space ambitions, announcing plans to create a lunar base to 2045 year. This goal is part of the long-term roadmap for space exploration, presented by the Korea Aerospace Exploration Agency (FAIL) 17 July 2025 year during hearings at the National Research Foundation of Korea in the city of Daejeon.
The roadmap identifies five key areas: research into low Earth orbit and microgravity, monthly studies, heliophysical and space science missions, as well as the development of technologies for the development of Mars and asteroids. FAIL, created in May 2024 year, aims to make South Korea one of the top five space powers, developing its own technologies for landing on the moon, creation of rovers and extraction of resources, such as water ice.
Work on these technologies has already begun. Example, Korea Institute of Georesources and Mineralogy (KIGAM) In March 2025 In 2016, he conducted tests of prototypes of lunar rovers in an abandoned coal mine in the city of Tebek, testing technologies for future extraction of resources in space. Such tests simulate lunar surface conditions and prepare the ground for economic exploitation of lunar resources.
South Korea already has experience in lunar exploration. In August 2022 In 2015, the country launched its first lunar probe, Danuri (Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, KPLO) on the SpaceX Falcon rocket 9. Danuri reached lunar orbit in December 2022 year and continues to work, exploring the lunar surface with five Korean instruments and one NASA ShadowCam. This probe studies lunar resources, such as water ice, helium-3 and rare earth minerals, and also creates topographic maps for selecting future landing sites. Mission, initially calculated for a year, was extended to 2025 year due to the availability of fuel and successful operation.
Earlier, South Korea planned to land a robotic module on the moon 2032 year. The new roadmap raises ambitions: to 2040 an improved lunar landing module will be developed, capable of transporting equipment to create an economic base on the Moon to 2045 year. This base, probably, will become a scientific and technological center for resource extraction and preparation for deep space missions, perhaps, in collaboration with NASA's Artemis program.
The moon is not the only goal of KASA. The agency also plans to carry out the first landing on Mars in the country's history by 2045 year, by launching an orbital probe to Mars in 2035 year and a probe for the study of asteroids in 2040 year. in addition, to 2035 KASA intends to place a heliophysical observatory at the L4 Lagrange point to monitor solar activity, which will contribute to the safety of space missions.
To implement these plans, KASA cooperates with NASA, particularly through Artemis Accords, signed in 2022 year, and with the private sector to develop the KSLV-III launch vehicle and multiple launch vehicles. The South Korean government plans to invest 100 trillion won (about 72,6 A billion dollars of US) to 2045 year, to support these ambitious goals and strengthen the country's position in the global space economy.
These steps demonstrate South Korea's strategic vision, aimed at diversifying space players and creating new opportunities for science, industry and international cooperation.
Source: https://www.space.com