"Now the Era of Lunar Exploration"…The World is Currently in a 'Moon Rush' Craze [Reading Science]

19 Countries Including the US and the European Union to Launch 106 Moon Missions Within 10 Years
South Korea Joins, Plans to Launch Korean Lunar Orbiter in August
Mission and Technology Development for 2030s Moon Landing Exploration Underway

Conceptual image of Korean-style lunar exploration. Photo by Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "Now is the era of lunar exploration."

The United States grew into a vast empire by securing enormous resources and territory through westward expansion. In the next decade, humanity is expected to open the era of lunar exploration. Miners and robots will be sent to secure underground resources more valuable than gold, such as Helium-3, and space stations will be built to travel to other planets like Mars more quickly and efficiently.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 27th, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the U.S. released a report last month analyzing the status of space exploration projects being pursued by countries worldwide in cislunar space and on the Moon. The report stated that 19 countries and the European Space Agency (ESA) plan to carry out 106 missions within the next 10 years. Interest in the space between Earth and the Moon and the Moon itself has increased, necessitating clear boundaries for this space and the collection of information on space exploration activities. Notably, besides China, Russia, and the U.S., which have led lunar exploration so far, ESA, India, Japan, and even countries traditionally lacking interest or capability such as Mexico, Thailand, and Turkey are now pursuing projects.

South Korea also plans to send a lunar orbiter in August this year and a lunar lander after 2030. The lunar orbiter has already been completed and only awaits launch. It will be launched on August 1 aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the U.S. Around December, it will arrive in lunar orbit and observe the Moon using domestically produced equipment such as a wide-field polarization camera, magnetometer, gamma-ray spectrometer, and high-resolution camera. In particular, it will photograph the planned landing site for a manned lunar lander at the Moon's south pole using a permanently shadowed region camera developed by NASA.

Development of the lunar lander has also begun in earnest. On the 22nd, the Ministry of Science and ICT formed a working group composed of experts from industry, academia, and research institutes to start specific mission planning and technology development. A preliminary feasibility study will be submitted in September, and once funding is secured, actual development will begin in 2024. The plan is to launch a next-generation Korean lunar lander weighing over 1.5 tons on a Korean next-generation launch vehicle in the 2030s.

The lunar exploration missions of various countries are mostly scientific projects, with 26 missions including 12 aimed at collecting soil, water, and ice samples. Next are 21 transportation missions essential for sustainable and long-term projects such as lunar bases or gateways. Unlike before, private companies now lead 24 of the 106 missions. NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency have contracts or purchase agreements with private companies to carry out missions in cislunar space or on the Moon. In Israel and Ukraine, private companies are leading space missions.

Among countries, the U.S. is the most representative, declaring a "return" after over 50 years since humanity's first lunar landing in the 1960s and pushing forward the manned Artemis project. The U.S. plans to send an unmanned probe this year and conduct manned exploration around 2026. It has signed the Artemis Accords with about ten countries including South Korea and is promoting the Lunar Gateway to replace the International Space Station (ISS) and connect the Moon and Earth. Long-term plans include building a lunar base and creating regular transport ships to travel between the Lunar Gateway and Earth, making the U.S. the most proactive in lunar development.

ESA is also pursuing the Luna 25, 26, and 27 missions for lunar exploration in partnership with the Russian Federal Space Agency, although these have been suspended recently due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ESA has also started the "Moonlight Initiative" to establish communication and navigation infrastructure in cislunar space. Several British private companies are advancing lunar exploration projects. The private company Spacebit plans to launch a rover that will walk on the lunar surface within this year. SSTL aims to launch a relay satellite into lunar orbit by 2024, and TCT Aerospace plans to collect lunar surface samples in 2025.

China, which has succeeded in the first-ever exploration of the Moon's far side, lunar landing, and sample collection, is becoming even more active. Through government-industry partnerships, it is pushing the Chang'e 7 (2024) and 8 (2027) missions, which include communication relay satellites, landers, and rovers. China has been considering building an international lunar research station and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Russia aiming for operation in the early 2030s, while also requesting cooperation with ESA. Notably, the Central Military Commission of China revealed plans in 2016 to strengthen military capabilities in cislunar space.

Japan plans lunar exploration missions to send landers and rovers to the Moon's south pole region in partnership with India. It is developing small satellites and lunar landers capable of pinpoint landing and obstacle detection. Japan is also participating in the U.S. "Lunar Gateway" project, conducting habitation technology and cargo resupply missions.

CSIS pointed out in its report that "Given the many planned orbiters, landers, and missions in lunar orbit, there is a need for awareness in the space domain, communication sectors, international governance, planning, and partnership building," adding, "It is essential first to agree on what space will be recognized as lunar orbit and to establish and maintain optimal operational norms."