It is expected that Korea will send a radiation measurement CubeSat on NASA's lunar exploration launch vehicle Artemis 2. During its time under the Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea rejected the U.S. proposal due to budget constraints, but since the establishment of the Korea Aerospace Administration, it has been pushing for a plan to include the Korean CubeSat in this collaboration.
According to the Korea Aerospace Administration and the aerospace industry on the 17th, Administrator Yun Young-bin attended the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, U.S., on the 8th and held a one-on-one meeting with Acting Administrator Janet Petro of NASA. One of the key agenda items discussed was the inclusion of Korea's CubeSat on Artemis 2.
Artemis is a U.S. manned lunar exploration project. The ultimate goal is to send astronauts to the moon for the first time in over 50 years since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis 2 is part of this project, aiming to send a manned spacecraft into lunar orbit in 2026. Previously, Artemis 1, which went to the moon in 2022, carried an unmanned spacecraft along with 10 CubeSats.
In October 2023, NASA announced its plan to send CubeSats from partner countries aboard Artemis 2 into lunar orbit. Korea also received an invitation. The Ministry of Science and ICT, KAI, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, which were in charge at the time, decided to participate in the project, but withdrew due to the budget proposal not passing the National Assembly. The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that about 7 billion won was the necessary budget.
As this fact became known late, the aerospace industry criticized the government and the National Assembly for missing a valuable opportunity to send a satellite into lunar orbit. An official from the domestic satellite industry said, “Even if it is a CubeSat, opportunities to send satellites directly into lunar orbit are scarce, and it is hard to understand the decision to forgo participation due to a lack of 7 billion won.”
A CubeSat is a miniature satellite the size of a shoebox, originally developed for educational purposes, but with advancements in electronics, it now takes on tasks previously performed by larger satellites. This is the reason why it is regrettable that Korea missed the opportunity to send a CubeSat to the moon.
However, as the Artemis project has been delayed, another opportunity has arisen for Korea. Artemis 2 was initially scheduled for launch at the end of 2024, but has been postponed to April 2026 for various reasons. The Korea Aerospace Administration, which launched last year, is strengthening its research cooperation with NASA and has resumed plans to include a CubeSat in Artemis 2.
The Korea Aerospace Administration signed a research agreement with NASA in October of last year and began discussions on specific follow-up measures during NASA's Moon to Mars architecture workshop in February of this year. The Korea Aerospace Administration proposed to include a radiation measurement CubeSat on Artemis 2, and it is reported that NASA has positively received this proposal. Discussions are ongoing between the Korea Aerospace Administration and NASA regarding the signing of a memorandum of understanding for incorporating the CubeSat.
An official from the Korea Aerospace Administration stated, “The inclusion of the CubeSat on Artemis 2 is still under consideration by NASA,” adding, “There is nothing specific that can be mentioned before the final signing of the agreement.”