"South Korea launches its own NASA" | AAAS

"South Korea launches its own NASA" | AAAS

New Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) agency aims to boost science and commercial space projects in South Korea

" . . . South Korea today officially launched a new agency to take charge of the effort. The primary mandate of the new Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)—modeled on the United States’ NASA—is to build up the country’s commercial launch and satellite capabilities. However, the government has also tasked the agency with landing spacecraft on the Moon by 2032, on Mars by 2045, and fostering leading edge science."

“Scientists who work on the Solar System and space explorations are quite excited,” says theoretical astrophysicist Sungsoo Kim of Kyung Hee University.

"KASA unites under one roof space programs previously scattered across the government. Its creation fulfills a campaign promise made by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office in May 2022. Yoon sees a stronger space program as boosting economic growth, and a government plan calls for roughly doubling spending on space-related programs to 1.5 trillion won ($1.1 billion) over 5 years from 2022 to 2027."

"Much of that funding would go to developing rockets, satellites, and other technologies that have commercial applications. But the plan from the National Space Committee also calls for KASA to promote 'leading space science research that can contribute to the expansion of human knowledge.'

The plan builds on a recent success. The country’s first space exploration mission, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), carries five scientific instruments that are gathering data on the Moon’s weathering, magnetic field, and permanently shadowed craters. Launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August 2022, the mission was originally planned to last 1 year but has been extended through 2025. Kim says it demonstrates that South Korean researchers can contribute to space science."

"This year, about 6% of South Korea’s space budget, or about $45 million, will go to science and exploration. But that funding is expected to increase, and KASA has recruited John Lee, a Korean American who was an executive at NASA for nearly 30 years, to be KASA deputy administrator in charge of missions and R&D. Lee has 'extensive experience in scientific missions,' says Sangwoo Shin, a space policy researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)."

Read full article here: https://www.science.org/content/article/south-korea-launches-its-own-nasa

Article Credit: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Release Date: May 27, 2024

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