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S. Korea could become vital partner for space exploration: NASA chief
By Lee Joon-seung
DAEJEON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has the potential to become an important partner in efforts aimed at advancing exploration and technology for the peaceful use of space, the head of the U.S. aerospace administration said Tuesday.
National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) chief Charles Bolden Jr. said at the International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, located 164km south of Seoul, that the country has made noticeable strides with its robust space program by building various satellites and launching a rocket into orbit.
He said that future cooperative tie-ups could take place in such areas as lunar exploration, satellites and the field of aeronautics.
The remarks come after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said on Monday that Seoul is seeking to forge cooperative relations with top space exploration leaders like the United States and is considering a move to take part in a U.S.-led lunar exploration project.
"NASA is hopeful of enhancing bilateral cooperation that can make South Korea a vital partner along with other countries," Bolden told reporters.
He did not go into details, but said new cooperative tie-ups can be explored in a wide range of promising areas along with traditional fields where two-way exchanges have taken place in the past.
At present, NASA exchanges data and information on earth observation that is used to monitor climate change and weather conditions.
The former Marine Corps major general said Washington is waiting for the release of the so-called Augustine Report, which will highlight the need for international cooperation in future space endeavors as a way to defray skyrocketing costs and spread out risks.
Bolden said that the United States has held talks on future cooperation with "non-traditional space partners" such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand to discern the positions of these countries.
He also stressed that while policymakers in Seoul believe they are far behind technologically, there are not many countries that can build satellites and launch space vehicles from their own soil.
The official said South Korea's "failure" to get a satellite into space in late August should not be viewed as a serious setback.
"Failure is common with a robust space program as those in South Korea and the country is well on the way to developing a solid space program," he said, pointing out that NASA lost a very important satellite last year.
The NASA administrator claimed South Korea has an incremental and well organized space program, adding that Shin Jai-won, associate administrator at NASA, will visit Seoul in a few weeks to explore what joint efforts can be pursued.
He said that other areas where the two sides can strengthen ties is in educational programs for young people who will become the next generation of leaders in this field.
Related to the remarks, South Korean experts at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said that the complexity and cost of future space programs is causing Washington to consider partners.
"In the past the U.S., with the exception of support offered to a few countries like Japan, has been reluctant to share information, yet this stance is showing signs of changing," said a KARI official, who declined to be identified.
He said the United States has expressed interest in working together on small-sized satellites, a field that South Korea enjoys a competitive advantage in, as well as certain aeronautical fields such as unmanned vehicles and deep space exploration.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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