Stunning black and white photograph of the Earth, seen from a bird’s eye view. moonsent the Danuri or Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) spacecraft of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

This spacecraft, which went into orbit around the Moon in December 2022, also sent back images of the Moon itself, as well as the Moon’s orbit around our planet.

Danuri (a combination of Korean words for moon and enjoyment) is the first South Korean space mission to be carried out in cooperation between KARI and the United States Space Agency (NASA). The ship was launched in August last year from Cape Canaveral, Florida by an American Space X rocket.

In mid-December, Danuri entered lunar orbit and began studying the lunar surface, as well as photographing it in order to determine suitable sites for future lunar landings.

The findings will, among other things, help NASA plan for its future missions under the Artemis program, the successor to the historic Apollo missions. The goal will be to create the first lunar base after 2025.

Danuri is planned to remain in lunar orbit for another 11 months.

Source: RES-IPE