SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) will strengthen its space alliance with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
KASA chief Yoon Young-bin signed a joint statement with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson for cooperation in space and aerospace activities at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., according to the Korean space agency, Monday.
This agreement follows the commitment made in April when the presidents of Korea and the U.S. decided to elevate their relationship from a military and economic alliance to a space alliance, KASA said.
The two agencies agreed to enhance cooperation in lunar and deep space exploration, focusing on the Artemis program, a manned lunar exploration project led by NASA.
The two entities also plan to identify high-potential innovative projects in areas such as space life sciences, lunar surface science, joint use of deep space antennas, and solar physics, while improving the two countries’ aerospace capabilities through technology exchange and workforce development. They will collaborate on space sustainability issues, including space debris reduction and space traffic management.
The two groups also agreed to sign an agreement for the exploration of the fourth Lagrange point (L4), where the gravitational forces of the sun and Earth are in equilibrium. This agreement includes defining mission concepts related to space environment research at L4, exploring ways to enhance safety against space radiation, and conducting research related to data transmission, optical communication, and relay systems at L4.
“The signing of this joint statement will be a significant opportunity for Korea to become a space power, as well as to promote humanity’s scientific discoveries and explore the future,” said KASA chief Yoon.
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