South Korea has launched a new Mars exploration task force to pursue opportunities for collaboration with the United States on future missions to the Red Planet, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) announced on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press briefing marking the agency’s first anniversary, KASA Administrator Yoon Young-bin said the US is increasingly focusing its space exploration budget on Mars, with plans to send humans and establish a presence there.

“In Korea, we have only just begun considering how to respond strategically at this stage,” said Yoon. “We’ve recently launched a task force to prepare for Mars exploration.”

He emphasized the need to create plans that are both scientifically valuable and economically feasible to enable active participation from private companies, potentially leading to breakthroughs in space technology.

Yoon also discussed strengthening South Korea’s satellite ecosystem, developing a lunar lander, and setting up a solar observatory at the L4 Lagrange point. He also confirmed that a deal to transfer technology of the Nuri space rocket to Hanwha Aerospace is expected to be finalized within the year.