- First Vice Minister of the MSIT visits the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French National Space Agency (CNES) to confirm mutual commitment to pursue space cooperation.
Vice Minister Cho Seong-kyung of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited the European Space Agency (ESA), the French National Space Agency (CNES) in Paris on January 19th, and the space startup Exotrail, to discuss concrete plans for space cooperation with the Korea AeroSpace Administration The next day (January 20th), the Vice Minister met with a group of Korean scientists based in France and listened to their opinions on how to recruit talented researchers. She also visited the National Air and Space Museum where she met the the director of the museum Dr. Anne-Catherine Robert-Hauglustaine and discussed strategies for communicating with the public on aerospace issues.
During the meeting between Vice Minister Cho and Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), they assessed the current status of space cooperation between Korea and Europe, and reached an agreement to establish a working group to find specific items for Korea-Europe space cooperation with the Korea AeroSpace Administration at the center. Besides the Director General of ESA, other attendees included the Director of European, Legal and International Matters and the Director of External Relations at ESA. During the meeting, there were lively discussions on various areas of potential cooperation, such as the compatibility and interoperability between Korea's KPS and Europe's Galileo satellite navigation systems, data sharing through respective deep space communication networks of Korea and Europe, and scientific space exploration collaboration. Notably, Director General Aschbacher expressed hopes for Korea's participation in large-scale space exploration projects of ESA, such as lunar exploration and Venus exploration.
Furthermore, Vice Minister Cho visited the French National Space Agency (CNES) to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation between space companies of both countries. Acknowledging the need for further promotion of the Korea-France Space Forum, which has been held since 2016 to strengthen Korea-France space cooperation, they agreed to utilize the forum as a platform for Korean and French space startups and companies to build networks. Additionally, they discussed joint research initiatives between Korea and France to promote technological innovation in the aerospace industry. Both parties confirmed their intention to establish a Korea-France joint funding initiative, with the Korea AeroSpace Administration and CNES as partners. The joint funding initiative involves both governments pooling funds to support aerospace companies from both countries. Vice Minister Cho and CNES agreed to proceed with working-level consultations from the establishment phase of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA).
Furthermore, the Vice Minister visited Exotrail (CEO: Jean-Luc Maria), a promising French space startup, and met with the CEO. She was also given a tour of the company' facilities. The CEO of Exotrail explained how the French government's technology transfer support policy played an important role in transferring innovative technologies from the academia and research community to the industry, and leading to the establishment of many startups. In response, the Vice Minister commented that one of the key roles of the to-be established Korea Aerospace Administration is to nurture and support aerospace businesses and startups, and expressed strong intention to explore ways to create a vibrant ecosystem for technology transfer and entrepreneurship in Korea, comparable to that of France.
During a meeting between the Vice Minister and the members of the Association of Korean Scientists in France (President: Lee Jong-Wook), Korean scientists shared the perspective that in order for the Korea Aerospace Administration to recruit outstanding talents from abroad, priorities should be given to establishing international schools and convenient transportation system. Attending the meeting were the Association President Lee Jong-Wook, Professor Park Chung Hae (IMT), Professor Park Hyuk (UPC, Spain), Dr. Jang Yongseok (ONERA), Dr. Jang Kang-soo (INRIA), and Dr. Lee Ye-il, an engineer turned doctoral researcher (ONERA). They expressed their willingness to actively cooperate with recruiting efforts by the Aerospace Administration.
The Vice Minister also visited the National Air and Space Museum of France (Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace), with a tour led by the museum's Director, Dr. Anne-Catherine Robert-Hauglustaine. Vice Minister Cho and Dr. Robert-Hauglustaine discussed how the government should communicate through culture to enhance public interest in aerospace and foster dreams and aspirations of young students.
The European Union is gaining grounds as a leader in various areas, such as launch vehicle development (e.g. Ariane and Vega), manned space exploration, and astronomical observation, and this effort is led by the European Space Agency (ESA; Director General Josef Aschbacher). Meanwhile, France has grown its aerospace industry through supporting prominent French aerospace enterprises such as Arianespace and Airbus, with the National Center for Space Studies (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, CNES; President Philippe Baptiste) overseeing the country's space development policies.
"Our visit to France has reaffirmed the ample potential and willingness for space cooperation between Korea and European countries, not to mention between Korea and France," remarked Vice Minister Cho. She added, "To swiftly tap into this potential for cooperation and produce tangible outcomes, we intend to establish a working-level consultative body with ESA and CNES in the near future and identify specific areas of cooperation."
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
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