Cho Sun-hak, director general of the Space Policy and Nuclear Energy Bureau at the science ministry, speaks during a space exploration symposium with researchers and government officials at at the Satellite Technology Research Lab of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT

Korea has taken steps to establish a roadmap for Mars exploration, such as developing a spacecraft as part of President Yoon Suk Yeol's ambitious vision to land on the planet by 2045 and to keep pace with powerhouse space exploring nations, the science ministry said, Monday.

The Ministry of Science and ICT held a space exploration symposium with government officials and space experts at the Satellite Technology Research Lab of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), to discuss plans to develop key technologies and prepare an implementation strategy.

"The symposium focused on dealing with the theme of the value and strategy of Korea's Mars exploration following previous discussions on the value of space exploration in August and the need for and strategy for lunar exploration in September," a spokesperson of the science ministry said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris listen to a presentation during their visit to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., April 24 (local time). AP-Yonhap

In November, 2022, Yoon announced that Korea will take a leap forward to become one of the space powerhouse nation by around 2045. To that end, the country aims to send a spacecraft to the moon by 2032 for resource mining and land on Mars by 2045.

At the symposium, around 20 experts argued that Korea should also establish a roadmap, as the United States, China and Japan are planning and implementing various Mars exploration missions with the goal of building a long-term human settlement there.

Bang Hyo-choong, a professor of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST, introduced how space powerhouse nations are preparing for the plan, such as the Moon to Mars plan of the U.S. and Japan's plan to explore Mars' moon Phobos.

The professor emphasized that "Korea should also establish a roadmap that clearly sets out the core goals by referring to the ways major countries have developed space exploration missions, and should develop a strategy and implementation plan for core technology development."

The U.S., the leading country in space exploration, has been promoting Mars exploration missions continuously, from the Mariner program in the 1960s to the Perseverance, a car-sized Mars rover launched in 2020.

Recently, the U.S. is pursuing the Moon to Mars plan, which aims to establish a human outpost on the moon through the Artemis plan, and then conduct a human Mars exploration mission based on it. In addition, China and the United Arab Emirates launched Mars probes in July 2020.

Kim Joo-hyeon, a researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), compared the space exploration goals of the U.S. and Europe and stressed the importance of setting scientific mission goals. The researcher suggested that in addition to preparing for the development of Korea's Mars exploration mission goals, the country needs to focus on cultivating future professionals to develop a sustainable space exploration missions.

The Nuri space launch vehicle blasts off from Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, May 25, to place satellites into orbit 550 kilometers above the Earth. The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Monday that the country is now on course to set up a strategy to launch space exploration such as Mars. Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Research Institute

After the presentations by the participants, experts discussed the goals of Korea's Mars exploration, the need for such a plan, and the development of a specific strategy such as building a lander and an orbiter.

"Now is the time for Korea to prepare a systematic strategy for Mars exploration in order to expand our activities into deeper space beyond the moon and prepare for a full-fledged future space-based society through space exploration," Cho Sun-hak, director general of the Space Policy and Nuclear Energy Bureau at the science ministry, said.

"We will prepare plans from various perspectives to ensure sustainable Mars exploration by enhancing our deep space exploration capabilities based on our experience in lunar exploration, while exploring ways to cooperate with global countries," the director general added.