DANURI DRAWS FOREIGN MEDIA'S ATTENTION

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea's first lunar orbiter, that was launched successfully, is drawing the global spotlight. Foreign media, such as CNN, have been covering the orbiter's launch extensively. They say there is a reason the Danuri is all the buzz this year in the world of science.

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[Soundbite] (CNN Anchor)

CNN covered the launch of the lunar orbiter Danuri in its headlines. The Washington Post and other media outlets also delivered the news. The internationally acclaimed science journal Nature introduced the Danuri project as the lunar exploration mission to watch this year. That's because Danuri is expected to take space exploration to a new level using its high-precision instruments.

[Soundbite] Kara Pohlkamp(NASA Johnson Space Center)

The space science sector in particular is watching Danuri's role in the U.S.-led program Artemis, which aims to have the Moon serve as an outpost for humans to travel to Mars. A shadow cam loaded onto Danuri to detect the landing point for spacecraft is a result of long-time joint efforts by NASA and Danuri researchers.

[Soundbite] Kara Pohlkamp(NASA Johnson Space Center)

The Korean government's plan to send a lunar orbiter from a domestic launch vehicle by 2031 is also drawing attention.

[Soundbite] Kara Pohlkamp(NASA Johnson Space Center)

If Danuri enters orbit as planned and carries out its mission, Korea will become the world's seventh lunar explorer. All eyes are on whether Danuri will prove Korea's lunar exploration capabilities.