S Korea’s space agency, NASA to conduct studies on Artemis programme

SEOUL — South Korea’s national space agency on Wednesday said it will join hands with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to conduct studies related to the Moon exploration Artemis programme.

According to its officials, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) has signed a study agreement on the Artemis programme with NASA, aimed at conducting research projects for sustainable exploration of the Moon and preparations for Mars exploration, Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea is the fifth nation to sign such an agreement with NASA, according to the Korean space agency.

Under the agreement, KASA and NASA will collaborate to conduct feasibility studies on lunar landers, space communications, positioning, navigation and timing, tools and applications to support astronauts, and space-based life sciences and medical operations.

The projects also include lunar surface science and autonomous power, robotics and mobility systems, as well as activities in the cis-lunar space, which refers to the region of space between the Earth and the Moon.

South Korea is one of the 47 countries that have signed the Artemis Accords, a US-led international agreement for lunar exploration.

In September, KASA signed a joint statement with NASA for cooperation in various areas involving space and aerospace research.

The two agencies also signed a separate agreement to jointly design a mission concept for operations at the so-called Lagrange point L4, where the gravitational forces of the sun and Earth are balanced.

Meanwhile, South Korea and the US also plan to send a jointly developed solar coronagraph to the International Space Station (ISS) to gather information on the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, and solar wind.

The Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX), is a 20 billion-won ($14.5 million) collaboration between the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and NASA.

CODEX is the world’s first coronagraph designed to observe the temperature and velocity of the solar wind in addition to the density, KASA said, noting it will help researchers better understand the solar wind and predict the space weather.