NASA sees South Korea as key partner in building moon base
· UPIJuly 29 (Asia Today) -- NASA is considering cooperation with South Korea in satellite communications, robotics and mobility as the U.S. space agency works to establish a permanently occupied base on the moon in the 2030s.
Carlos García-Galán, manager of NASA's Moon Base program, said Wednesday that international cooperation would be essential to accomplishing the nearly impossible task of establishing a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
"South Korea has both an interest in space and the capabilities needed to pursue it, as well as industries that can turn those capabilities into reality," García-Galán said at a media briefing in Seoul.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration hosted the briefing at the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies in southern Seoul.
NASA outlined its Moon Base initiative this year as part of a broader plan to create infrastructure supporting a sustained human presence on the moon and future missions deeper into space.
The initiative consists of three phases.
During the first phase, which runs through 2029, NASA plans to send uncrewed rovers and resource-prospecting equipment to survey the lunar surface.
The second phase, scheduled from 2029 through 2032, will focus on establishing initial infrastructure and operating capabilities that allow astronauts to remain on the moon.
NASA plans to begin developing a semipermanent base capable of supporting a continuous human presence after 2032.
García-Galán said the program would require transportation systems capable of delivering cargo to the moon and mobility technologies that allow astronauts and equipment to move across its surface.
"We are seeking meaningful partners whose participation can help develop the capabilities of their entire countries," he said.
NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Nujoud Merancy said South Korea had demonstrated strong satellite and communications capabilities through cooperation on Danuri, the country's first lunar orbiter.
"Through our work on Danuri, we saw that South Korea has outstanding communications and satellite technologies," Merancy said.
She said South Korean companies also had strengths in robotics and mobility that could contribute to the lunar base while creating a lasting foundation for research and industrial development.
The initiative is expected to require technologies that have never been developed or used at such a scale, potentially generating opportunities for private companies and the emerging space economy.
"Establishing a long-term human presence on the moon is an extremely difficult undertaking that will require unprecedented advanced technologies," García-Galán said.
He said developing those technologies could generate substantial economic benefits and help expand the commercial space industry.
NASA envisions the lunar settlement as a small city resembling a research station in Antarctica.
"The moon base will be similar to a small city built around an Antarctic research station," Merancy said.
The settlement could include transportation and cargo systems, residential areas, power-generation equipment and facilities capable of producing oxygen, she said.
South Korea joined the U.S.-led Artemis Accords in 2021 and has expanded cooperation with NASA through Danuri and other lunar exploration projects.
The Korean space agency said it intends to use the Moon Base initiative to broaden cooperation between the two countries from existing space projects to lunar surface operations and deep-space exploration.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260729010010846