South Korea’s first lunar orbiter Danuri sends photos of Earth, moon
- Danuri was launched in August and entered lunar orbit in December; its photographs and videos will be used to choose potential moon landing sites
- Nation has ambitious plans for outer space, including landing a spacecraft on the moon by 2032 and on Mars by 2045
South Korea’s first-ever lunar orbiter Danuri has sent black-and-white photos of the moon’s surface and Earth, the national space centre said on Tuesday.
Danuri – a blend of the Korean words for “moon” and “enjoy” – was launched on a SpaceX rocket from the United States in August 2022 and entered lunar orbit last month.
Its images, taken between December 24 and January 1, show the lunar surface and Earth, and were shot from less than 120km (75 miles) over the moon, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said in a statement.
The images and videos will be “used to select potential sites for a moon landing in 2032”, it added.
Danuri is circling the moon every two hours, the centre said.
The orbiter will begin its scientific mission next month, which includes mapping and analysing lunar terrain, and measuring magnetic strength and gamma rays.