A South Korean science probe was launched into space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday evening as part of an ambitious project to look for ice deposits in permanently shadowed polar craters on the moon.
The Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) spacecraft has four Korean instruments, including two cameras, a gamma ray spectrometer, and a magnetometer, in addition to an incredibly sensitive NASA camera called “ShadowCam” that can look into deep craters to help researchers see what is actually there.
Future astronauts may be able to split ice into hydrogen and oxygen if it has indeed collected in the icy shadows and if it is accessible. Air, water, and even rocket fuel might be extracted from ice, if there is a system in place to do so.
To find out and test the life support and other equipment required for future missions to Mars, NASA’s Artemis program is targeting shadowed craters near the moon’s south pole with periodic trips to the surface beginning in 2025 or 2026.
KPLO will also describe the components of the lunar soil, evaluate the radiation environment, and test communications equipment in addition to scoping out suitable landing sites.
According to the nonprofit Planetary Society, “The KPLO mission constitutes the first phase of South Korea’s lunar exploration program.” They intend to launch a second lunar orbiter, a lander, and a rover during the second phase.
The KPLO mission launched successfully Thursday at 7:08 p.m. EDT from pad 40 at the Florida-based Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 rocket, which was on its sixth launch and was utilizing a recycled first stage, put on a spectacular early-evening display by arcing away to the east over the Atlantic Ocean and then vanishing from sight.
The 1,500-pound KPLO spacecraft was released to fly on its own 40 minutes after launch after two firings of the rocket’s second stage engine. It then followed a fuel-efficient ballistic trajectory. By mid-December, the probe should be in a circular orbit 60 miles high around the moon.
A Space Force missile early warning satellite was launched into orbit by a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from a nearby launch pad 41 just 12 and a half hours before to the SpaceX launch. According to Spaceflight Now, it was the shortest time since 1967 between two Florida space flights.
The 34th launch from the “Space Coast” this year, the KPLO launch set another record that will be surpassed with each succeeding launch. The company SpaceX alone is in charge of 27 of those missions to Florida. The remaining seven consist of two “Venture-class” Astra rockets and five Atlas 5 rockets.
By the end of the year, 60 or more launches from Florida are anticipated.