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Saudi Arabia to Host K-CON Korean Festival for 2nd Time in October

The two-day festival will showcase the participation of 14 Korean bands
The two-day festival will showcase the participation of 14 Korean bands
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Saudi Arabia to Host K-CON Korean Festival for 2nd Time in October

The two-day festival will showcase the participation of 14 Korean bands
The two-day festival will showcase the participation of 14 Korean bands

The Saudi Music Commission has announced that the Kingdom will host the K-CON festival for the second time on October 6-7 at Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh Boulevard City.

The two-day festival will showcase the participation of 14 Korean bands, presenting a global music concert that celebrates a diverse range of Korean cultural creations. In addition to the musical performances, there will be an accompanying exhibition dedicated to Korean culture.

Originating in 2012, the K-CON festival has grown into one of the largest Korean cultural festivals, having been hosted by eight cities on four continents in recent years, attracting a substantial audience of over a million visitors. The festival encompasses various aspects of Korean culture, including music, fashion, cuisine, beverages, and films.

It will also feature an exhibition introducing Saudi and international audiences to Korean culture, as well as a dedicated area for the sale of Korean products.

The decision to host this global event in the Kingdom aligns with an agreement previously established between the Ministry of Culture and the Korean CJ company. It reflects the ministry's commitment to promoting international cultural exchange, in line with its strategic objectives aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

The initiative underscores the ministry's efforts to attract leading international festivals and events to the Kingdom while furthering Saudi contributions to arts and culture.

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Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander Closing in on Lunar Touchdown Site

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
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Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander Closing in on Lunar Touchdown Site

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo

Intuitive Machines sent final commands to its uncrewed Athena spacecraft on Thursday as it closed in on a landing spot near the moon's south pole, the company's second attempt to score a clean touchdown after making a lopsided landing last year.

After launching atop a SpaceX rocket on Feb. 26 from Florida, the six-legged Athena lander has flown a winding path to the moon some 238,000 miles (383,000 km) away from Earth, where it will attempt to land closer to the lunar south pole than any other spacecraft.

The landing is scheduled for 12:32 pm ET (1732 GMT). It will target Mons Mouton, a flat-topped mountain some 100 miles (160 km) from the lunar south pole, Reuters reported.

Five nations have made successful soft landings in the past - the then-Soviet Union, the US, China, India and, last year, Japan. The US and China are both rushing to put their astronauts on the moon later this decade, each courting allies and giving their private sectors a key role in spacecraft development.

India's first uncrewed moon landing, Chandrayaan-3 in 2023, touched down near the lunar south pole. The region is eyed by major space powers for its potential for resource extraction once humans return to the surface - subsurface water ice could theoretically be converted into rocket fuel.

The Houston-based company's first moon landing attempt almost exactly a year ago, using its Odysseus lander, marked the most successful touchdown attempt at the time by a private company.

But its hard touchdown - due to a faulty laser altimeter used to judge its distance from the ground - broke a lander leg and caused the craft to topple over, dooming many of its onboard experiments.

Austin-based Firefly Aerospace this month celebrated a clean touchdown of its Blue Ghost lander, making the most successful soft landing by a private company to date.

Intuitive Machines, Firefly, Astrobotic Technology and a handful of other companies are building lunar spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, an effort to seed development of low-budget spacecraft that can scour the moon's surface before the US sends astronauts there around 2027.