KASA Expands Horizon of Global Space Cooperation to Europe
- Seminar Held with ESA to Identify Collaboration Opportunities
- Discussion on Various Cooperation Areas, Including Space Exploration, Solar Observation Mission, and Satellite Navigation
The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) held a practical seminar with the European Space Agency (ESA) on January 15th at the KASA office in Sacheon to strengthen their cooperation in space at the occasion of the visit of the ESA delegation, led by Eric Morel, Director of the Strategy, Legal and External Matters. It served as a platform for the two agencies to discuss concrete measures to expand their cooperation in the space sector.
Both agencies shared updates on their technologies and research in various fields, including Global Navigation Satellite System, space exploration, space weather monitoring, and Earth observation. In addition, discussions were held regarding the details of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that is currently under negotiation between KASA and ESA to further solidify their cooperation.
ESA is planning to develop and operate the Vigil space weather mission to Lagrange point L5, while KASA is working on the L4 solar probe. Cooperation between these two missions is expected to provide an important opportunity to deepen research on solar activity and space weather forecasting.
Furthermore, design, development and system evolution of Galileo, the EU's Global Navigation Satellite System, along with the technical development of its infrastructure, are entrusted to ESA that possesses advanced high-precision navigation technologies. Meanwhile, KASA is developing the regional satellite navigation system, Korea Positioning System (KPS). The collaboration such as on LEO-PNT, between the two agencies is expected to improve satellite navigation accuracy and stability, as well as enhance the mutual reinforcement and reliability of satellite navigation signals.
The seminar also addressed collaboration on more efficient space activities, including deep-space communication, infrastructure development and joint utilization, Earth observation and environmental monitoring for sustainable goals, as well as space science and data analysis.
ESA, as the agency responsible for overseeing Europe's space exploration and research activities, consists of 23 member countries. ESA participates in various global projects related to space technology development, and has demonstrated remarkable achievements in fields such as Earth observation, navigation satellite systems, exploration missions, launch vehicle development, and space weather monitoring. The sharing of space technologies between Europe and Korea is expected to lead to a variety of collaborative opportunities.
Administrator Yoon emphasized, "This seminar marks an important turning point for KASA in strengthening space cooperation with Europe and positioning Korea as a central player in international space research and development." He also added, "KASA will continue its efforts to enhance global space cooperation with ESA.