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VIVA – South Korea's lunar orbiter, Danuri has successfully entered the orbit of Earth's natural satellite, the Moon. This was announced by the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in South Korea.
Danuri, which means 'Enjoy the Moon', was launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on August 5 and has flown along a trajectory to the Moon, as quoted from Sputniknews site, on December 28, 2022.
"After leaving Earth on August 5, Danuri has successfully come to the Moon after a 145-day journey. I declare that Danuri has arrived at the Moon," said South Korean Vice Minister of Science and ICT Oh Tae-seog.
The ministry stated that the orbiter is now orbiting the Moon at 1.62 kilometers per second (1 mile per second) and flying around it in regular two-hour cycles.
Ilustrasi Bulan.
- U-Report
In January 2023, Danuri will begin a year-long mission to study the Moon's environment, terrain, and possible landing sites for future missions. This is South Korea's first space mission beyond Earth orbit.
In other words, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, the official name of the spacecraft successfully reached mission orbit and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) became the seventh space agency to put a satellite into orbit around the Moon, following Russia, the United States (US), Japan, the European Union, China, and India.
Established in 2016, the Danuri project cost more than US$186.5 million or IDR2.9 trillion. This success will be the foundation for South Korea long-term goals, such as landing on the Moon in 2032 and Mars in 2045.
Based on data compiled by Danuri, the government of South Korea will launch a Moon lander with a domestically-made rocket in 2032.
The announcement came two days earlier than scheduled, as the satellite was able to achieve orbit at a target of 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the Moon's surface through three lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuvers instead of the originally planned five LOI maneuvers.
During the LOI process, a spacecraft lowers its speed to enter orbit. Danuri performed its third and final LOI maneuver on Tuesday at 11:06 a.m. local time.
