S. Korea, US-developed solar coronagraph installed at International Space Station
A solar coronagraph jointly developed by South Korea and the United States has been successfully installed on the International Space Station (ISS) to begin its mission of observing the Sun and its outer atmosphere, or corona, South Korea’s national space agency said on Wednesday.
The Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) was installed on the ISS’s external platform, successfully received power, and established communications, according to the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), Yonhap news agency reported.
CODEX, a collaboration between the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will perform solar observation missions for up to two years following a one-month test run, starting next year.
CODEX is the world’s first coronagraph designed to observe the temperature and velocity of the solar wind in addition to its density. KASA noted that this will help researchers better understand the solar wind and predict space weather.
KASA has also partnered with NASA on studies related to the Moon exploration Artemis program.
According to officials, the agreement with NASA aims to conduct research projects for sustainable Moon exploration and preparations for Mars exploration, Yonhap reported.
KASA and NASA will collaborate on feasibility studies for lunar landers, space communications, positioning, navigation, and timing, tools and applications to support astronauts, and space-based life sciences and medical operations.
The project includes lunar surface science, autonomous power, robotics, mobility systems, and activities in cis-lunar space, which refers to the region of space between the Earth and the Moon.
South Korea is one of the 47 countries that have signed the Artemis Accords, a US-led international agreement for lunar exploration.
The two agencies also signed a separate agreement to jointly design a mission concept for operations at the Lagrange point L4, where the Sun’s and Earth’s gravitational forces are balanced.
