South Korea launches first lunar orbiter

STORY: The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, nicknamed Danuri, meaning "enjoy the Moon," departed on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force Station.

With Danuri, South Korea aims to become the world's seventh lunar explorer, and the fourth in Asia, behind China, Japan and India.

The launch comes as South Korea accelerates its space program, seeking to send a probe to the moon by 2030 and join nine countries working on the Artemis project aimed at returning to the moon by 2024.