Seoul, South Korea’s first lunar mission Danuri is all set to be launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon rocket on Friday morning, the Ministry of Science and ICT said today, The Korea Herald news reported.
According to the ministry, the SpaceX Falcon rocket has been readied at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Danuri, formally known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, will blast off at tomorrow (Friday).
The ministry had previously announced that the lunar mission’s launch was delayed for two days due to additional checkups on the US space launch vehicle.
If the Korean lunar orbiter gets on track, it will go on a four-month journey to the moon’s orbit, as Danuri will take an energy-efficient trajectory called “Ballistic Lunar Transfer” into deep space.
Korean space authorities said the trajectory utilizes “highways” that exist in various interplanetary gravity pulls to minimize the amount of fuel, which is necessary to change the orbiter’s course. Thus, it allows more payloads on the probe.
Carrying six different payloads, Danuri will enter the moon’s orbit at the end of this year. It will begin its mission around the moon in February 2023 after testing its movements and functions at a prior time.
Source: Oman News Agency