South Korea plans to land on Mars by 2045, will spend 67 billion euros for this purpose

(Patria) - South Korea plans to land on Mars by 2045, and by then it will spend around 67 billion euros for this purpose.

This was announced yesterday by President Yoon Suk Yeol on the occasion of the launch of the first space agency of this Asian country.

The KASA agency will lead the "space economy" of this country, and hundreds of companies will work on "catapulting" South Korea among the world leaders in space travel, Yoon claims.

- KASA will usher in a new space era by cultivating experts, through support for the space industry system and encouraging challenging and innovative research and development - he said.

Seoul wants the first landing on the Moon in 2032. South Korea has become the seventh country in the world to possess the technology for launching rockets and satellites.

Last year, it launched the Nuri rocket, which carried a commercial satellite into space.

The agency's goal is to coordinate various government ministries, and it will include the space research institute in its structure. South Korea plans at least three more launches by 2027 and also wants to launch military satellites.

Yoon's announcement is an indicator of the growing efforts Asian countries are investing in space programs for practical reasons, such as improving rocket technology or strengthening national pride.

North Korea launched a rocket on Monday, but failed to send its second military spy satellite into orbit.

Pyongyang blamed a malfunction of a new type of engine, but one expert called the attempt a 'big leap' for North Korean technology.

South Korea, Japan, and the United States condemned the launch as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning the development of ballistic missile technology.

China's space program has developed large rockets such as the Long March 5, the Tiangong space station, unmanned probes for the Moon, and the Zhurong rover, which reached Mars in 2021.

Japan became the fifth country to land a vehicle on the Moon in January. Last year, India became the fourth nation to land on Earth's satellite, after Russia failed to do so the same month.