The government has approved a project to develop a reusable space launch vehicle powered by a methane rocket engine by 2034 as part of its long-term space exploration road map, the country's space agency said Monday. The 2.3 trillion-won ($1.6 billion) program was sanctioned by a government funding assessment committee under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA). Under the project, the government will develop a single 80-ton-thrust methane engine to be used for both the first and second stages of a next-generation rocket. This marks a shift from an earlier plan to develop two different types of engines for the first and second stages. KASA said the project is aimed at supporting a planned lunar lander mission in 2032 and developing a competitive reusable launch vehicle in stages. As an initial step, a test firing of the engine is scheduled for the end of 2031, followed by a hopping test the following year, the agency said. A hopping test refers to a low-altitude, vertical takeoff and vertical landing flight test of a reusable rocket sta