S. Korean space payload ready to join NASA’s Artemis project

The lunar space environment monitor, “LUSEM.” [Coutesy of Ministry of Science and ICT]

South Korea’s participation in the U.S. lunar exploration program “Artemis” took a significant step forward as the country’s scientific mission payload destined for the Moon departed for the United States.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) said on Monday that the lunar space environment monitor, or “LUSEM,” completed development and is currently en route to the United States. LUSEM is set to travel to the Moon in 2024, where it will perform vital scientific tasks as part of NASA’s Artemis program.

LUSEM was developed by KASI and is a crucial component of NASA’s “Commercial Lunar Payload Services” (CLPS) initiative. CLPS, a subprogram of the Artemis program, annually launches payload-carrying spacecraft developed for scientific exploration or commercial development to the Moon using privately made, unmanned lunar landers.

Alongside LUSEM, KASI has also spearheaded the development of other scientific instruments for CLPS, including a lunar surface magnetic field measurement device (LSMAG), a 3D imaging camera for lunar soil (GrainCams), and a lunar surface space radiation measurement instrument (LVRAD).