NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Pam Melroy’s press interview while visiting Korea
Over 3 years since the Artemis agreement was signed, South Korea’s role remains unclear
“South Korea’s investment is a condition for boarding… reevaluation of CubeSat
Space Agency should support technological growth from a commercial perspective”,
Pam Melroy, Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA, answers questions during a press interview at the U.S. Embassy in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 16th. Provided by the U.S. Embassy in South Korea,
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, ‘Pam Melroy, Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA, confirmed that NASA is still exploring what contributions South Korea can make in NASA-led lunar and Mars exploration projects. Despite the foundation of the agreement signed by our government in May 2021, more than 3 years have passed without clearly defining South Korea’s role. The concerns of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, which has designated itself as an international cooperation control tower in the space exploration field, are deepening.’,
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Canada has a robotic arm, Japan has a lunar rover, what about South Korea?
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, ‘During a press interview held at the U.S. Embassy in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 16th, Pam Melroy stated, “South Korea is a signatory to the Artemis agreement and has technological strengths in various fields such as communication, robotics, and advanced manufacturing, which are highly related to our (lunar and Mars exploration) projects.” She also mentioned, “To determine what role South Korea is suited for within our project design, it is necessary to take the time to communicate, and currently, we are at the stage of examining this.”‘,
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Illustration of NASA’s ‘Artemis Plan’. Provided by NASA,
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, “NASA is currently carrying out the ‘Artemis’ project, an international cooperation project to build a crewed base on the moon by 2028. The plan is to transition to the ‘Moon to Mars’ project, which aims to travel from the moon to Mars. While South Korea became the tenth signatory country of the Artemis agreement, as Pam Melroy mentioned, it has not yet been assigned a significant mission. The domestically developed lunar orbiter ‘Dalu-ri,’ launched in 2022, is only partially involved in tasks such as video recording.”,
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, ‘Melroy emphasized that mutual contributions are crucial for participation in the project. She stated, “Partnerships require mutual benefits for both sides. It is necessary to assess what contributions South Korea can make, what it can offer.” Due to collaborative efforts with Canada and Japan, which respectively pursued cooperation on a robotic arm (Canadarm) and a lunar rover (Lunar Cruiser), they have secured tickets for spaceflight. Melroy added, “Once South Korea’s investment is determined, South Korean astronauts could take their first steps.”‘,
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Yoon Young-bin, head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, giving a keynote speech at the 45th Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) General Assembly held at BEXCO Auditorium in Busan on the 15th. Yonhap News,
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, ‘Ultimately, for South Korea to board the Artemis spacecraft, prompt action from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, which has become NASA’s official counterpart in international cooperation, is necessary. Yoon Young-bin, head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, met with Pam Melroy at the COSPAR General Assembly, which opened in Busan the previous day, to discuss future cooperation. Melroy noted, “Discussions were held on potential partnerships with South Korea, including CubeSats,” but regarding specific collaboration, she chuckled and said, “As the Korea Aerospace Research Institute recruitment is ongoing, time is needed to establish a position.” As part of the Artemis agreement, NASA pushed for South Korea to carry a CubeSat on Artemis II last year, but the plan fell through during parliamentary deliberations due to budget constraints. Melroy’s explanation indicates ongoing discussions for South Korea to collaborate on CubeSat projects.’,
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, ‘In the era of ‘New Space,’ where private entities drive space development, Melroy mentioned that NASA and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s role is to support technological growth from a commercial perspective. She also emphasized the need to establish regulations for private activities in space to align with the current trend. She stated, “While there is the Outer Space Treaty under international law, interpretations vary by country, so submitting it to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space can be a way to lead cooperation.”‘,
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