Oh Tae-seok, administrator of Korea's space agency (KASA), held his first meeting with Jared Isaacman, the new administrator of NASA, at the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
Oh congratulated NASA on the successful launch of Artemis 2 and the safe return of its four astronauts, according to KASA on Thursday. He also praised the significance of the first crewed lunar flyby mission in more than 50 years.
The two agency heads reviewed the progress of working-level discussions in areas such as mobility, communications, and power systems for the practical implementation of the Artemis Research Accord signed in October 2024. They also discussed ways to continue strengthening bilateral cooperation in lunar exploration, building on Korea's recent participation in NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program with its Lunar Surface Radiation Measurement Device (LVRAD).
LVRAD is a payload being developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in collaboration with Korean universities. It will measure cosmic radiation energy distribution and temporal changes on the lunar south pole surface, data needed for research on radiation effects on astronauts. LVRAD will be mounted on Intuitive Machines' Nova-D lunar lander and is scheduled to explore the lunar south pole in 2030.
"This meeting marks a milestone showing that the Korea-U.S. space alliance has moved beyond mere declarations into a phase of substantive technological cooperation," Oh said. "We will seek concrete measures to ensure Korea plays an essential role in humanity's sustainable lunar exploration."
