Korean delegation visits NASA, other space agencies to discuss cooperation

Politics

Published: 29 Jan. 2024, 15:46 Updated: 29 Jan. 2024, 17:06

Korean delegation visits NASA, other space agencies to discuss cooperation

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, center, tour NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on April 25, 2023. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A Korean government delegation recently visited space agencies abroad, including the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to scout talent and discuss cooperation with the soon-to-be-launched Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA).

The delegation also visited the Paris-headquartered European Space Agency (ESA) and France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) following a presidential order to learn from such agencies before launching KASA, described as Korea's version of NASA, in May.

A high-ranking presidential official told the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday that President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered his aides to personally visit aerospace agencies worldwide to learn about their operating systems and recruit necessary human resources.

This came after the National Assembly passed a special act on Jan. 9 to establish KASA and enable the launch of Korea's full-fledged space agency on par with those of other advanced agencies.

The newly established KASA will be located in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang, overseeing the country's space development by implementing aerospace policies and supporting the growth of a cutting-edge space technology market.

According to the presidential office, a government delegation led by First Vice Science and ICT Minister Cho Seong-kyung visited the ESA and CNES on Jan. 19. They then traveled to the United States to visit NASA, touring research centers such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the White House National Space Council (NSpC).

In a meeting on Jan. 23 with Pam Melroy, NASA's deputy administrator, the delegation discussed Korea's strengths in mobility, secondary batteries, 5G, autonomous driving and nuclear technology, which can be applied to space exploration, and cooperation in building a lunar roving vehicle and a lunar communications network.

First Vice Science Minister Cho Seong-kyung, right, and Pam Melroy, deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), shake hands on Jan. 23 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA headquarters building in Washington during Cho’s visit to the United States. [MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND ICT]

A senior People Power Party (PPP) official familiar with the exchanges said NASA rarely shares knowledge with a specific country or discusses personnel exchanges and joint research plans.

The official said that during the meeting with NASA, "there was close discussion on cooperation for the Artemis mission," a U.S. manned lunar exploration program to build a sustainable manned base on the moon by 2026.

If successful, it would be the first crewed mission to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Communication between the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's deep space antenna and NASA's deep space network for the launch of Korea's first lunar orbiter, Danuri, in 2022 is an example of space cooperation between the two countries.

The Korean government plans to build on this with the Artemis project and open an era of space cooperation between Korea and the United States.

"Korea and the United States reportedly reached a consensus on creating value in economic and industrial aspects beyond the level of scientific and technological cooperation," the PPP official said, noting that some 20 Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor and Hankook Tire, are actively considering participating in the lunar roving vehicle project.

This government delegation also privately contacted members of the National Space Council, the White House policy council responsible for capitalizing on U.S. space activities.

"There are plans for a large-scale project between Korea and the United States that is nearly at the completion stage, but it involves a strategic industry directly related to national interests as well as trust issues with the United States, so it can't be revealed at the moment," the PPP official said.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris shake hands at a joint press conference at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on April 25, 2023. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

During his state visit to the United States in April 2023, President Yoon met U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as chair of the National Space Council, at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

"Cooperation between KASA and NASA down the road will be the driving force behind forging a strong space alliance," Yoon said to Harris. "The first step in that direction will have to be a bilateral communication platform to facilitate joint projects and exchange people, information, and knowledge between KASA and NASA. I look forward to valuable input from NASA in shaping KASA through personal exchange and other means."

During the Korean delegation's visit to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA's research center, on Jan. 24, they met with some 20 Korean researchers separately, seen as a part of efforts to recruit professionals to KASA.

The PPP official said that the two sides discussed the direction of KASA, operations, working conditions and annual salary, and that some attendees "expressed their determination to contribute to the development of the KASA in any form."

According to the special act establishing KASA, foreigners and people with dual citizenship can also be appointed to executive and staff positions at the space agency, aside from the head of KASA. There is no set ceiling for the salary.

The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed on Monday that Cho met with NASA's Melroy to discuss measures to expand space cooperation between the two countries including Korea's participation in the Artemis moon exploration program.

In France, the delegation visited the ESA, a 22-member intergovernmental body, on Jan. 19 and exchanged opinions on participation in space programs such as the exploration of Venus and the moon and cargo transport missions to the International Space Station.

The CNES, in turn, agreed to create a joint Korean-French space fund.

France is an aerospace powerhouse that became the third country in the world to successfully launch a satellite using the Diamant-A launcher in 1965, following Russia and the United States.

The establishment of KASA was a key campaign pledge made by Yoon.

After the special act was passed in parliament, Yoon said on Jan. 9 that Korea "has taken a great step toward becoming a space powerhouse."

"The establishment of KASA, reminiscent of NASA in the United States, will be an opportunity to mark a milestone in our country's space development," the presidential official said. The appointment of the inaugural head of KASA and other members, and the details of the agency's organization, will be completed as soon as possible and made public."

BY HYUN IL-HOON, SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]