"South Korea announced an ambitious slogan—'If China can do it, so can we.'
This slogan demonstrates South Korea's determination to land on the moon by 2032 and on Mars by 2045, officially joining the space race.
However, is this plan too confident for South Korea's space capabilities? Can South Korea really achieve these goals?
What is the actual strength of South Korea's space capabilities?
While South Korea is establishing an agency similar to 'NASA,' China is vigorously advancing its space exploration work, successfully launching multiple satellites into space.
On December 1, 2020, the Chang'e-5 lunar probe was successfully launched, scheduled to go to the far side of the moon for sampling and return to Earth by 2023.
The competition in the space field has always been intense.
China's space development is at the forefront internationally, not only driving South Korea but also influencing the development of neighboring countries such as India and Japan.
However, China's space launch activities have always been aimed at peaceful use, so the spacecraft launched by China are usually called 'Peace.'
Since the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite 'Sputnik 1' on April 4, 1957, the space race has intensified.
On July 20, 1969, the United States' Apollo 11 successfully landed on the moon, inspiring humanity's desire for exploration.
After that, the United States conducted a total of six moon landing missions.
In November 1968, NASA's 'Apollo 8' conducted a lunar orbit flight, photographing the soil and surface composition and topography but did not land for exploration.
On July 20, 1976, the United States' Viking 1 lander successfully landed on Mars, but at that time, establishing a base on Mars was impossible due to technical limitations.
Compared to the United States, South Korea's space capabilities are relatively weak.
On May 26, 2020, South Korea's 'National Space Administration' announced that it would achieve its first moon landing by 2032 and plans to land on Mars by 2045.
This declaration seems to give South Korea more say in the space field.
However, does this mean South Korea can surpass countries like China, the United States, Japan, and India?
As times progress, China's economy continues to grow, and its technological level continues to improve.
China's 'Peace' and 'Tiangong' are internationally recognized as space powers, while South Korea's spacecraft are currently limited to satellites.
This announcement by South Korea to land on the moon has raised many doubts externally.
Technologically, the development level between South Korea and China shows a significant gap.
South Korea currently can only manufacture 36 satellites, while China has reached 130 satellites, and even Russia's satellite count exceeds South Korea's.
Additionally, the number of satellites from the United States, India, and Japan far exceeds that of South Korea.
China's space career began in 1970 with the successful launch of its first professional communication satellite, 'Dong Fang Hong 1.'
Since then, China has started large-scale satellite launches and established ground stations, achieving communication functions.
After 13 years of development, by 1984, China decided to commercialize space payloads.
At that time, China's total space technology strength was less than 1,000 people, and funds were also insufficient. However, China relied on independent innovation and political stability to successfully embark on a unique development path.
China's engineering and technical strength is a significant advantage in its space career.
China has abundant labor resources, and the number of engineers far exceeds other countries, providing strong support for space development.
In the 1990s, China's space career made a leap forward, with the successful launch of Chang'e 1 making China an internationally recognized space power.
In contrast, South Korea's space capabilities are relatively weak. Since the launch of its first communication satellite 'Koreasat 1,' subsequent spacecraft have had constant issues.
In 2010, South Korea's 'Mugunghwa-4-1' satellite fell into a blind flight state after launch, resulting in very few satellites manufactured by South Korea.
China's space capabilities are reflected not only in satellites but also in manned spaceflight, space stations, and lunar exploration, among other aspects.
China has launched more than 130 satellites in total, more than 40 of which were launched by the Long March 4 rocket.
China also has its own 'Beidou' global satellite navigation system, as well as space laboratories like 'Tianzhou' and 'Tiangong.'
South Korea's space career has a weak foundation, and it only began trying to develop advanced launch technologies of developed countries in 2019.
South Korea's rocket family is very small, with only four types of rockets, and the success rate of launches is also low.
In this context, South Korea established the 'Korea Aerospace Research Institute' (KARI).
In July 2019, South Korea announced that it would land on the moon by 2032 and land on Mars by 2045.
However, to achieve these goals, South Korea needs to make more efforts and should not rush to succeed, as space careers are fraught with risks, and a failure could bring serious losses.
Cultural differences between countries may lead to mutual misunderstandings.
South Korea's confidence and flamboyance stem from their perception of their own strength, but in the face of facts, they may gradually recognize China's strength and open attitude.
When there are cultural differences between China and South Korea, both sides should understand and respect each other, communicate equally, and reasonably complement each other's strengths to promote friendly relations between the two countries.
The competition in space careers is not only a contest of national technological strength but also a matter of confidence and tribute.
South Korea's space plan shows their ambition, and we look forward to South Korea achieving these goals and working together with China to win together and jointly commit to humanity's mission of exploration."
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