South Korea began its first mission to the moon this week with the launch of its Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) mission from Florida.
South Korea began its first mission to the moon this week with the launch of its Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) mission from Florida. Using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the uncrewed spacecraft was launched on a course to enter orbit around the moon in a year-long mission which sees the country becoming one of a small group of nations to launch lunar missions.
The KPLO spacecraft launched from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with liftoff at 7:08 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 4 shown in video footage shared by SpaceX. The spacecraft will now travel for four and a half months, using a fuel-efficient path called a ballistic trajectory which will take it into orbit around the moon.
