The appointed head of South Korea’s newly established space agency, KASA, has committed to transforming the nation into a significant player in the global space sector by enhancing the role of its private space industry.
Set to assume leadership, Yoon Young-bin, a former aerospace engineering professor at Seoul National University, will oversee the agency starting May 27 in Sacheon, located 300 kilometres south of Seoul. KASA, modeled after NASA, aims to spearhead South Korea’s space and aeronautical research, including missions to the moon and Mars.
“We need to raise companies that can play key roles in space development projects in order for the country to have a global-level space industry and ultimately space economy,” Yoon told reporters in the first press conference held since his nomination last month.
Yoon also stated that in 2022, they demonstrated the capability to launch a domestically produced satellite using a homegrown rocket from their launch site. He emphasized the need to explore the development of larger satellites and methods to reduce the costs associated with launching spacecraft to advance to the next stage.
“The global paradigm is shifting as leading companies have developed reusable space rockets while launching a group of small satellites that have similar performance to medium- and large-sized satellites,” he added.
Deputy administrator nominee John Lee, a former senior executive at NASA, expressed confidence in South Korea’s potential to achieve world-class status in the space industry and plans to adapt NASA’s successful strategies to the Korean context to advance the nation’s space technology capabilities.
“If we successfully define the requirements of the country’s space projects like NASA, KASA will be able to integrate various projects, while the industry, the government and academic institutions can conduct their work in a consistent manner,” Lee said.
Featured image: Yoon Young-bin (R), nominee for the chief of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), and John Lee, nominee for KASA’s deputy administrator of mission directorates, listen to reporters’ questions at a press conference held in Seoul on May 2, 2024. Credit: (Yonhap)© Yonhap News English
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