On Nov. 20, 2007, the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said that it plans to develop a powerful two-stage rocket by 2017 to send a satellite to the moon.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, ROK plans to build and test a 300-ton Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-II) booster rocket and launch its first lunar exploration satellite in 2020. If the plan is successful, ROK will launch a lunar probe in 2025.

The KSLV-II is expected to be a larger and more advanced model of the 170-ton KSLV-I that is set to be launched in late 2008. The rocket is expected to have a total of five 75-ton thrust engines.