The Danuri spacecraft, or Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute(KARI), which entered orbit around the Moon in December 2022, has begun sending back impressive black-and-white photos of Earth as seen from the Moon, as well as photos of our planet's satellite.
Danuri (a combination of the Korean words for moon and enjoyment) is South Korea's first space mission and is being carried out in collaboration between KARI and the US Space Agency (NASA). The spacecraft was launched last August from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a Space X rocket.
In mid-December, Danuri entered lunar orbit and began studying the moon's surface and photographing it, with the aim of identifying suitable sites for future landings. The findings will help NASA plan its future missions as part of the Artemis program, the successor to the historic Apollo missions. The goal will be to establish the first lunar base after 2025.
Danuri is planned to remain in lunar orbit for another 11 months.
