South Korea set off for the moon on Thursday. But it doesn¡¯t want to stop there.
¡°We are also considering using the moon as an outpost for space exploration,¡± Kwon Hyun-joon, director general of space and nuclear energy at South Korea¡¯s Ministry of Science, said in a written response to questions. ¡°Although we hope to explore the moon itself, we also recognize its potential to act as a base for further deep space exploration such as Mars and beyond.¡±
South Korea¡¯s lunar spacecraft, named Danuri, was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, setting out on a roundabout but fuel-efficient path that will have it arriving at the moon in mid-December. There, it will begin an orbit at an altitude of about 100 kilometers above the moon¡¯s surface. The main mission is scheduled to last for one year.
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