Korea announces plan to observe solar activity by launching scientific probe between Earth and Moon in 2031

Korea will send a scientific probe to the space between the moon and Earth in 2031 to observe solar activity.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Seung-han = Korea will send a scientific probe to the space between the moon and Earth in 2031 to observe solar activity.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced on the 4th that it will participate in the International Council for Space Research (COSPAR) 2026 academic general meeting held at Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy from the 1st to the 9th and announce this heliosphere exploration plan.

The COSPAR General Assembly is an international event that shares research results in the world's space science exploration field and discusses exploration cooperation between space organizations of major countries.

On the 7th, the Space Agency will introduce Korea's phased heliosphere exploration plan and international cooperation plans, including the Earth-Moon Science Exploration Vehicle.

The Earth-Moon Science Probe is used to observe the solar wind and the influence of the Earth's magnetic field in the space between the Earth and the Moon (cislunar), where long-term observation data is relatively lacking compared to low-Earth orbit.

The probe was mentioned as one of the lunar exploration strategies at the national report on the development vision of high-tech industries in the Yeongnam region on the 3rd of last month.

The Space Agency announced that it introduced the National Space Situational Awareness System (K-SSA) development plan launched this year at a roundtable conference held on the 3rd.

In addition, during the general meeting, it was decided to hold bilateral meetings with major space agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to discuss ways to cooperate in space science exploration.