With the United States launching Artemis 2, calls are growing for South Korea to accelerate its own lunar exploration program. Major space powers including the U.S. and China are moving to establish lunar bases to turn the space economy into reality, raising concerns that latecomers may struggle to secure optimal locations.
Korea is targeting 2032 for its lunar lander launch, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) on Monday. The government has also laid out a mid- to long-term roadmap aiming to build a lunar economic base by the 2040s. A moon landing is expected to serve as a starting point for opening the space economy era, going well beyond simple scientific exploration.
Current lunar exploration missions are focused on finding optimal sites for building space infrastructure. Korea's first lunar orbiter, Danuri, is carrying out lunar surface imaging and resource surveys toward that goal. KASA plans to finalize a landing site by the end of this year. Candidate zones at latitudes between 40 and 70 degrees are under review, as they would allow missions lasting more than 10 days on the surface and offer favorable conditions for lander operations and scientific payload research.
The private sector is also ramping up preparations. LG Group is developing a rover — a robotic explorer — in partnership with Korean space startup Unmanned Exploration Research Institute, targeting a 2032 lunar landing. Rovers are considered essential equipment for lunar resource surveys because they can collect precise data close to the surface. Hyundai Motor Group is also accelerating rover commercialization by partnering with Japan's Toray Group to research specialized materials.
The key challenge is speed. Competition to secure lunar exploration infrastructure is intensifying as major nations including the U.S. and China push to build bases at the moon's south pole, which is rich in water resources. By the 2040s, when Korea aims to establish its lunar economic base, prime locations may already be largely claimed. Particular concern has been raised about an exploration gap between the end of the Danuri mission and the 2032 lander launch. Danuri is scheduled to conclude its mission by crashing into the moon in 2028, meaning years of limited Korean lunar exploration activity could follow. In response, KASA revealed in its 2026 work plan that it would attempt to launch a lunar communications orbiter using the Nuri rocket in 2029, signaling its intent to minimize the gap.
