From 'Lake of Death' to Clavius, Korea searches moon for 2032 landing sites

KASA has shortlisted lunar landing zones for two robotic missions planned for 2032, including sites beyond the lunar south pole. Lacus Mortis is a candidate for the early-year verification probe, while Clavius is another leading option. The verification craft is scheduled to test landing safety and other systems before a more advanced lander follows later in 2032.

The agency is considering 20 candidate zones for the primary lander and nine for the precursor soft-landing demonstration craft.

Lacus Mortis is a pitted plain where scientists suspect collapsed lava tubes, which could offer shelter from radiation and meteoroids.

Scientists have previously detected traces of water molecules bound within the soil at Clavius.

The decade-long secondary lunar exploration program is managed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and has a budget of 530 billion won ($385 million).

The primary lander is planned to carry precision landing systems and tools to sample volatile elements such as hydrogen and oxygen, as well as metallic minerals.

Published Nov 1, 2026 7:00 am KST

Unmanned probes to survey volcanic plains and deep craters under $385 mil. lunar program

An artist’s rendering shows Korea’s planned lunar lander scheduled for launch in 2032. Courtesy of Korea AeroSpace Administration

Korea is shopping for real estate on the moon, and its newly established space agency has its eye on some of the lunar surface’s most forbidding neighborhoods.

At a recent academic symposium, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) revealed a shortlist of prospective landing sites for two robotic missions scheduled for 2032.

The agency is weighing 20 candidate zones for its flagship lunar lander and nine for a precursor soft-landing demonstration craft, signaling a decisive shift toward boots-on-the-surface ambitions for a nation long playing catch-up in deep-space exploration.

Rather than sticking strictly to the lunar south pole — a crowded target for NASA’s Artemis program and rival missions seeking water ice — Korean scientists are eyeing a broader, strategically varied grid. The candidate list spans ancient impact basins, jagged basaltic plains, and deep pit craters that could house underground lava tubes.

Among the standout targets for the early 2032 verification probe is Lacus Mortis, or the "Lake of Death," a pitted plain that scientists suspect holds collapsed lava tubes. Such underground caverns are increasingly viewed by international space agencies as ideal natural shelters for future crewed bases, offering protection from radiation and meteoroids. Another primary candidate is Clavius, one of the moon's largest and oldest craters, where scientists previously detected traces of water molecules bound within the soil.

A lunar map released by the Korea AeroSpace Administration highlights potential touchdown zones for the nation's two-stage 2032 moon lander project. Courtesy of KASA

"Evaluating and debating candidate landing sites is a critical step toward ensuring the success of our 2032 lunar lander mission," said Kang Kyung-in, head of KASA’s space science and exploration division. "We will maintain continuous dialogue with relevant experts and leverage rigorous scientific and engineering analyses to select a landing site optimized for Korea's lunar exploration goals."

The two-stage deployment represents the centerpiece of Korea's decade-long, 530 billion won ($385 million) secondary lunar exploration program managed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Under the current roadmap, a soft-landing verification craft will launch in early 2032 to evaluate touchdown safety, test dust-mitigation systems, and measure cosmic radiation.

If that craft lands intact, a more sophisticated, primary lander will follow in late 2032. Its payload will feature precision landing systems and analytical tools to sample volatile elements like hydrogen and oxygen, as well as metallic minerals.

The effort is more than a display of technical swagger.

By securing its own lander capability and mapping native resources, Korea aims to stake a functional claim in the emerging cislunar economy, laying infrastructural groundwork for long-term resource extraction and future lunar outposts.

But the technical hurdles are formidable.

Selecting a final site requires balancing high-yield scientific rewards — such as pristine mantle materials or volatile-rich soils — against unforgiving engineering constraints. Engineers must account for treacherous surface slopes, limited solar illumination, and direct line-of-sight communication with Earth. KASA said it plans to narrow the options over the coming months through continued panel consultations with industry and academic experts as lander designs solidify.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

韩国宇航局（KASA）已为计划于2032年执行的两项机器人任务选定了多个月球着陆区候选地点，其中包括月球南极以外的区域。拉库斯·莫蒂斯（Lacus Mortis）是早期验证探测器的候选地点之一，而克拉维斯（Clavius）则是另一个主要选项。验证探测器计划在更先进的着陆器于2032年晚些时候执行任务之前，测试着陆安全性和其他系统。

该机构正在考虑 20 个主要着陆器候选区域和 9 个先导软着陆演示飞行器候选区域。

死亡湖是一片坑洼不平的平原，科学家怀疑这里有坍塌的熔岩管，可以为人们提供躲避辐射和流星体的庇护所。

科学家此前曾在克拉维乌斯的土壤中检测到过水分子痕迹。

这项为期十年的二次月球探测计划由韩国航空航天研究院管理，预算为 5300 亿韩元（3.85 亿美元）。

主着陆器计划携带精确着陆系统和工具，用于采集氢、氧等挥发性元素以及金属矿物样本。

发布于2026年11月1日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

耗资3.85亿美元的月球计划将派遣无人探测器勘测火山平原和深坑。

艺术家绘制的效果图展示了韩国计划于2032年发射的月球着陆器。图片由韩国航空航天管理局提供。

韩国正在月球上寻找地产，其新成立的航天局已将目光投向月球表面一些最荒凉的区域。

在最近的一次学术研讨会上，韩国航空航天管理局（KASA）公布了计划于 2032 年执行的两项机器人任务的潜在着陆地点候选名单。

该机构正在权衡其旗舰月球着陆器的 20 个候选区域和先导软着陆演示飞行器的 9 个候选区域，这标志着这个长期以来在深空探索领域落后的国家，正朝着真正登陆月球表面的目标做出决定性的转变。

韩国科学家并没有局限于月球南极——NASA的阿尔忒弥斯计划和其他寻求水冰的同类任务都已将目标锁定在该地区——而是将目光投向了一个范围更广、策略更加多样化的区域。候选区域包括古老的撞击盆地、崎岖的玄武岩平原以及可能存在地下熔岩管的深坑。

2032年初的核查探测器重点目标之一是“死亡之湖”（Lacus Mortis），这是一片坑洼遍布的平原，科学家怀疑其中隐藏着坍塌的熔岩管。国际航天机构越来越将这类地下洞穴视为未来载人基地的理想天然庇护所，能够抵御辐射和流星体的撞击。另一个主要候选目标是克拉维斯陨石坑（Clavius），它是月球上最大、最古老的陨石坑之一，科学家此前曾在该陨石坑土壤中探测到水分子痕迹。

韩国航空航天管理局发布的一张月球地图标出了该国两级2032年登月计划的潜在着陆区。图片由韩国航空航天管理局提供。

“评估和讨论候选着陆点是确保我们2032年月球着陆器任务成功的关键步骤，”韩国航天局空间科学与探测部门负责人康京仁表示，“我们将与相关专家保持持续对话，并利用严谨的科学和工程分析，选择一个最符合韩国月球探测目标的着陆点。”

这项分两阶段部署计划是韩国耗资5300亿韩元（约合3.85亿美元）、历时十年的月球探测二级计划的核心部分，该计划由韩国航空航天研究院负责实施。根据目前的计划，一艘软着陆验证飞船将于2032年初发射，用于评估着陆安全性、测试防尘系统并测量宇宙辐射。

如果该飞行器完好无损地着陆，更先进的主着陆器将于 2032 年底跟进。其有效载荷将配备精确着陆系统和分析工具，用于采集氢、氧等挥发性元素以及金属矿物样本。

这项努力不仅仅是炫耀技术。

韩国通过确保自身着陆器能力并绘制当地资源地图，旨在新兴的地月经济中占据一席之地，为长期资源开采和未来的月球前哨站奠定基础设施基础。

但技术上的障碍非常巨大。

最终选址需要在诸多因素之间取得平衡：一方面是高回报的科学价值（例如原始地幔物质或富含挥发性物质的土壤），另一方面是严苛的工程限制。工程师必须考虑险峻的地表坡度、有限的太阳光照以及与地球的直接视线通信等问题。韩国航天局（KASA）表示，随着着陆器设计的逐步完善，他们计划在未来几个月内通过与业界和学术界专家持续磋商，缩小候选地点范围。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。