South Korea: According to the chairman of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), South Korea’s long-term space exploration roadmap calls for the deployment of a lunar landing in 2032 and a lunar communication orbiter in 2029.

During his agency’s policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung in the central administrative city of Sejong, KASA Administrator Yoon Young-bin reportedly revealed the objectives while emphasizing the agency’s strategy to strengthen the nation’s space capabilities.

According to Yoon, the agency will use its domestic Nuri rocket to try the orbiter mission in 2029. The nation successfully sent 13 satellites into orbit last month with its fourth flight of the domestic space launch vehicle.

He clarified that using the lunar communication orbiter to secure deep-space communications technology would provide the foundation for the objective of launching an autonomous lunar mission in 2032.

Since it is impossible to communicate with Earth from the far side of the moon, a lunar communications orbiter is necessary for moon missions.

According to Yoon, KASA intends to construct a reusable next-generation launch vehicle by 2035 and carry out at least one Nuri launch year until 2032 to increase its success rate to above 90%.