South Korea joined the stampede to the moon Thursday with the launch of a lunar orbiter that will scout out future landing spots.
The satellite launched by SpaceX is taking a long, roundabout path to conserve fuel and will arrive in December.
South Korea's $180 million mission—the country's first step in lunar exploration—features a boxy, solar-powered satellite designed to skim just 62 miles above the lunar surface. Scientists expect to collect geologic and other data for at least a year from this low polar orbit.In June, South Korea successfully launched a package of satellites into orbit around Earth for the first time using its own rocket. The first try last fall fizzled, with the test satellite failing to reach orbit.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, or KPLO, lifts off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/John Raoux A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, or KPLO, lifts off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/John Raoux
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