South Korea has set an ambitious goal to establish a permanent base on the Moon by 2045 as part of its national space program expansion. The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) presented its long-term exploration strategy, focusing on five core mission areas: low Earth orbit, microgravity research, lunar exploration, and solar and space science initiatives.
The Moon is the top priority for KASA, with a multi-phase strategy aimed at achieving robotic lunar landing by 2032, followed by advanced lander development in 2040. This would support the creation of a “lunar economic base” just five years later. KASA’s goals include developing indigenous lunar landing and rover technology, as well as systems to extract resources found on the Moon.
The country has already made significant progress, including testing prototype lunar rovers in a decommissioned coal mine. This effort reflects South Korea’s intention to swiftly move from planning to deployment, particularly in areas like resource extraction technology.
South Korea is not alone in its lunar ambitions. The US plans to establish permanent outposts on the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program, while China and Russia are also pursuing similar objectives. India has announced plans to build a moon base by 2047. KASA aims to expand its reach even further with a goal of achieving South Korea’s first Mars landing by 2045.
The agency’s lunar and Mars ambitions demonstrate its growing determination to position itself as a serious contender in the next era of space exploration.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/07/south-korea-announced-a-moon-base