South Korea and Europe are seeking ways to cooperate in the field of space development and exploration. South Korea's plan is to enhance its global status in the space sector starting with cooperation with Europe.
The Korea Aerospace Administration noted on the 15th that it held a seminar with the European Space Agency (ESA) at its office in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, to discuss ways to strengthen space cooperation. On that day, Eric Morel, Director of the Strategy and Legal Affairs Division, attended the seminar to discuss specific methods for expanding cooperation with the Korea Aerospace Administration.
At the seminar, the two agencies shared the latest research achievements and current research status in various fields, including Global Positioning System (GPS), space exploration, space environment observation, and Earth observation. Discussions were also held regarding the specifics of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a cooperation foundation between the Korea Aerospace Administration and ESA.
ESA is planning a mission to send a probe to the fifth Lagrange point (L5) to observe the space environment. As the Korea Aerospace Administration is preparing for exploration at L4, there is expectation that cooperation between the two missions could enhance research on solar activity and space environment forecasting. The Lagrange points are locations where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth balance each other, allowing for a stable position.
Cooperation through the Galileo system, a GPS system operated by ESA, was also discussed. Collaborating with ESA, which already possesses high-precision navigation technology necessary for the development of the Korea Positioning System (KPS), is expected to enhance accuracy and reliability.
In addition, they discussed the development and joint use of deep-space communication infrastructure for efficient space activities, as well as collaboration in space science, including Earth and environmental observation, and data analysis. The Korea Aerospace Administration expects that strengthening cooperation with ESA will provide an opportunity to advance South Korea's space development capabilities globally.
Yoon Young-bin, head of the Korea Aerospace Administration, said, "We will strengthen space cooperation with both South Korea and Europe, creating an important turning point to establish ourselves as a center for international space research and development. In the future, we will continue our efforts to enhance cooperation with individual ESA member countries."