activeKARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute)
Nuri (KSLV-II) & Korean Lunar Lander
South Korea's indigenous launch vehicle program and lunar exploration plan. Nuri achieved 4 successful orbital launches (2022-2024), establishing sovereign launch capability. Korea plans an uncrewed lunar landing mission by 2032, following the successful Danuri lunar orbiter (2022) which carries NASA's ShadowCam for mapping shadowed craters.
Budget
~$2B (Nuri development) + $600M (lunar program)
Timeline
2022–2032
Key Milestones
Nuri successful orbital launch — South Korea becomes 7th nation with indigenous orbital capability
2022 — Jun
Danuri (KPLO) lunar orbiter launched on SpaceX Falcon 9
2022 — Aug
4th successful Nuri launch with commercial payloads
2024
Next-generation KSLV-III development begins
2027
Uncrewed Korean lunar lander mission
2032
Contractors
Sources
- kari.re.kr
- spacenews.com