[Reading Science] L4 Exploration, South Korea's New Challenge as a Space Power

Place Where Gravitational Balance Between Sun and Earth Is Achieved
Excluded from Next Year's Budget but Challenge Spirit Is Needed

The Korea Aerospace Administration, a government organization established to make South Korea a space powerhouse, has surpassed 100 days since its launch. Despite this, the agency has been allocated a budget of 964.9 billion won for next year, marking a 27% increase. Compared to the 3.2% increase in the 2025 government budget proposal over this year, this has understandably drawn envy from other ministries.

The Korea Aerospace Administration has many areas to spend on. Approximately 950 billion won is planned to be invested in securing next-generation launch vehicles for lunar landing missions. The development of the lander is now also entering full-scale progress. Naturally, budget expansion is essential. President Yoon Seok-yeol has pledged to raise the space development budget to around 1.5 trillion won by 2027.

Nevertheless, the Korea Aerospace Administration remains hungry for funds. Its goal is to secure additional budget during this year’s National Assembly discussions. The agency is known for receiving unwavering support from both ruling and opposition parties within the government and the National Assembly.

The target arrows point toward the Lagrangian point and the Apophis asteroid exploration. It is known that these explorations were excluded from next year’s budget preparation process. Both the Lagrangian point and Apophis are unfamiliar terms to the general public. In government organizations using taxpayers’ money, it is difficult to allocate large-scale budgets to areas with low public understanding. Therefore, it is natural that the budget is concentrated on lunar landing projects.

However, some argue that aiming to achieve the lunar landing goal, which the United States succeeded in during the 1960s, in the 2030s is different from the current government’s goal of pursuing pioneering research and development (R&D) beyond mere catch-up. It implies that this is not the ‘killer item’ that will elevate South Korea beyond the world’s top seven space powers into the ranks of the top five. So, what could be the candidate for this killer item? The Apophis exploration, which was already rejected in the preliminary feasibility study during the previous administration, lacks novelty. The remaining candidate is ‘L4,’ one of the Lagrangian points.

The Lagrangian points are named after the astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange and refer to positions in interplanetary space where the gravitational forces of two celestial bodies balance each other. Among them, L4 is the point where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth are balanced. It is the optimal location to observe the still mysterious Sun. No country in the world has yet conducted exploration of L4.

The L4 exploration was not reflected in next year’s budget. Only the planned exploratory research started with this year’s budget is underway. The Korea Aerospace Administration expresses regret, saying preparations are still insufficient. John Lee, head of the Korea Aerospace Administration’s mission headquarters, explained the failure to secure the budget by saying, "The explanation about L4 was insufficient." He mentioned that there has not yet been an opportunity to provide a detailed explanation about L4. Given the difficulty in securing even the lunar exploration budget, deciding on the L4 exploration, whose benefits to the Korean economy are uncertain, is not easy. Convincing both the government and the public is a current challenge faced by the Korea Aerospace Administration.

Going to the Moon in the 1960s, when computers were not as advanced as today, was a project that consumed an unimaginable budget. It is analyzed that it required 0.7% of the United States’ gross domestic product at the time. It would have been impossible without nationwide support formed amid fears of the Soviet Union’s space development.

The L4 exploration is no different. The reasons are sufficient. Following what others have already done cannot make one a pioneer. Careful planning and a process of persuasion are necessary. The plan must include a spirit of challenge and vision, as well as efficiency and international cooperation as essential requirements. The public supporting the Korea Aerospace Administration is watching closely.