In 1992, Korea's first satellite, Uri Star 1, was launched.

And the following year, in '93, "Our Star 2" went into space.

It's faint to see now, but I also took satellite images of the Korean Peninsula like this.

Now he is out of communication and wanders alone in space.

So KAIST, the builder of the satellite, is preparing a plan to return this Uri Star 2.

So why would they want to bring this scrap metal moon back to Earth?

Our country has its own launch vehicle called "Nuri" and sent a probe called "Danuri" to the moon, but it has not yet brought anything from space.

Japan succeeded in bringing soil collected from an asteroid back to Earth in 2020.

The discovery of RNA components containing the genetic information of life in the soil found on asteroids has increased the possibility of life in outer space beyond Earth.

We need to bring samples from this exploration of the moon, Mars, and asteroids back to Earth, and we don't have the technology yet.

That's why we're trying to secure technology that can return objects in space to Earth through our star return.

It's a two-step process.

First, in the first phase, the goal is to capture our star and drag it into the Earth's atmosphere.

At this time, due to friction with the atmosphere, the collection satellite and our star will be destroyed.

However, it would be a little more meaningful to revert our country's first moon, Uri Star 1, so why did they choose 2?

Unfortunately, our country can only shoot rockets to the south.

Japan is in the east, China is in the west, and North Korea is in the north.

By the way, our Star No. 1 is 23 degrees off from the south.

On the other hand, our Star 2 is only 10 degrees away from the south, so it is more accessible if you shoot a rocket to the south.

So we plan to launch a collection satellite at the same speed and orbit as our star and then capture it.

The idea of holding it with a robot arm is influential, and we are also considering using the robot arm of the humanoid 'Hubo' developed by KAIST.

The technology of capturing satellites can also be used as a space debris cleaning technique.

Right now, Elon Musk is shooting tens of thousands of small satellites called "Starlink" into space, and one day they're going to become space junk, and eventually we're going to need cleaning technology.

Even better, it is possible to capture enemy satellites.

[Sejin Kwon/Professor of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST: These are essential technologies for Korea to carry out more diverse activities in space in the future. These technologies are bound by export restrictions such as ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) and MTCR (Missile Technology Control System) in developed countries. Therefore, domestic development is necessary.]

If Phase 1 of bringing Uri Star 2 into the atmosphere is successful, Phase 2 will encapsulate Uri Star 1 or 3 and return it to Earth intact.

If it can withstand the shock of a ground collision and withstand the heat of friction with the atmosphere, the technology to re-enter the atmosphere is secured.

The sixth Nuri spacecraft, which will be launched in 2027, will carry out the first phase of our repatriation plan.

Now, in about ten days, the third launch of the Nuri spacecraft, which will take the actual satellite into space, will take place.

If the Nuri succeeds in putting this real satellite into space orbit, our return plan will gain momentum.

(Planning: Noh Yoo-jin, Composition: Park Jung-hyun, CG: Seo Seung-hyun and Choi Jae-young, Video Interview: Han Il-il and Shin Dong-hwan, Video Cinematography: Kim Kyung-tae and Song Nak-hoon, Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee)