▲The crewed spacecraft Artemis 2, designed for lunar exploration, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the 2nd. This marks the first crewed spacecraft launch for lunar exploration in 54 years, since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The crew will fly at an altitude of 6,437 to 9,656 kilometers from the Moon, visually confirming lunar surface areas never observed before, and return to Earth on the 10th. China, which is running its Chang'e space program, also plans to conduct a crewed lunar mission before 2030. With South Korea's successful fourth launch of the Nuri rocket last year, the government should further accelerate building a private sector-led "New Space" ecosystem.
▲March consumer prices rose 2.2% due to the impact of the Iran war, deepening the sighs of ordinary citizens. According to the National Data Office on the 2nd, petroleum prices surged 9.9% — the highest in three years and five months — as price pressures from the Middle East crisis weigh on the livelihoods of the public. April prices could rise further as the high exchange rate and other factors are fully reflected. There are concerns that the 26 trillion won supplementary budget the government drew up in the name of stimulating the economy could further fuel inflation. Shouldn't non-essential items be trimmed during the National Assembly's review process?