South Korea, US strengthen lunar base cooperation, sign joint letter of intent

Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and NASA are deepening cooperation toward building a lunar base.

KASA said Thursday it co-hosted the "KASA-NASA Artemis Workshop" with NASA and discussed ways to collaborate on the construction and operation of a lunar base.

The two agencies signed a joint letter of intent affirming their commitment to lunar base development. The document sets out the goal of actively drawing on KASA's technologies and capabilities as NASA advances its lunar base construction program.

The cooperation builds on a joint space cooperation statement the two countries issued in September 2024 and an Artemis research agreement they concluded the following October. The two sides used the workshop to focus discussions on specific technology areas where South Korea can contribute to lunar base construction, with detailed technical specifications and the scope of cooperation to be finalized through follow-on consultations.

Key technology areas identified for collaboration include lunar landers, lunar communications and navigation systems, and rovers for lunar surface exploration — fields whose development is expected to expand South Korea's opportunities to participate in deep-space exploration.

Ahead of the workshop, Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA's Moon Base program manager, delivered a special lecture Wednesday for South Korea's space science community and the general public, sharing the vision and strategy behind the Artemis program and NASA's plans for lunar base construction.

"This joint letter of intent is an important milestone showing South Korea's commitment to taking an active part in establishing a permanent human presence on the moon," KASA Administrator Oh Tae-seok said. "We will work together with NASA to give concrete shape to its lunar base construction plans, drawing on the core space technologies South Korea has built up."