The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) signed MOUs with the space agencies of Italy and Uzbekistan during the 2025 Space Symposium held in Colorado, U.S. It also held bilateral talks with the European Space Agency (ESA) to explore joint missions and technological cooperation. These efforts aim to strengthen Korea’s presence in global space exploration.   The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is joining hands with Uzbekistan, Italy, and others to engage in all-round cooperation in the space sector, including sharing space technology, joint research, and joint missions. It also discussed space exploration and other issues through bilateral meetings with the European Space Agency (ESA), the world's top space agency. Director of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute attended the 2025 Space Symposium held in Colorado Springs, USA from the 7th to the 10th (Korean time) to expand international space cooperation and establish strategic partnerships. On the occasion of this event, the KARI signed a business agreement (MOU) with the Uzbekistan Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). It also created an opportunity to strengthen Korea's influence on the international space stage through a bilateral meeting with ESA. The space agency emphasized that it will support Uzbekistan’s space activities so that cooperation with Uzbekistan goes beyond simple technology exports and leads to opportunities for mutual growth for both countries, and will further solidify Korea’s role in the global space ecosystem. The space agency also signed an MOU with the Italian Space Agency on space activity cooperation. This MOU is a follow-up measure to the bilateral meeting between the heads of the agencies held on the occasion of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in October last year. The two agencies plan to expand the scope of cooperation in various fields such as space environment, space exploration, Earth observation, and satellite navigation. The space agency and ASI are currently forming joint working groups by sector to explore cooperation agendas. Once specific cooperation items are discovered, they plan to sign an implementation agreement and proceed in earnest. The space agency expressed expectations that strengthening cooperation with Italy, a founding member of ESA and possessing a high level of space technology, could lead to joint mission promotion, technology exchange, and mutual support for the space industry between the two countries, and would serve as a bridgehead for technological exchange and joint project promotion with Europe. The space agency has also been steadily continuing discussions on cooperation with ESA, which began on the occasion of the International Astronautical Congress. After the seminar with the ESA delegation that visited Korea in January, the items of cooperation between the two organizations were specified. Accordingly, in the bilateral meeting between the heads of the organizations held on the 7th, current issues such as establishing a framework for carrying out activities in areas of mutual interest such as network operation, ground data systems, space exploration, and satellite navigation were discussed. In particular, the space agency proposed to ESA an additional cooperation agenda that would allow the Korean government and companies to actively participate in the entire European space network and further deepen cooperation. head of the Korea Space Agency, said, “This international cooperation goes beyond a simple diplomatic achievement and is an important step forward in establishing a three-dimensional cooperation structure that organically combines technological cooperation, industrial advancement, and human resource exchange.” He added, “The space agency will drive technological exchange and mutual growth through cooperation encompassing both advanced and emerging countries, and will position itself as a key partner in international space cooperation.” (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: NEWSIS