Seoul: South Korea's space administration announced plans to deliver a small satellite designed for measuring space radiation as part of a U.S.-led moon exploration program. The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) revealed that the K-RadCube, a Korean-made cube satellite, will be transported to the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida to join NASA's Artemis II mission.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the K-RadCube will be mounted on the Orion stage adapter, located between the Space Launch System rocket and the crewed Orion spacecraft. The satellite's launch is scheduled for April 2026. Weighing 19 kilograms, the satellite is tasked with monitoring cosmic radiation and analyzing its effects on astronauts as it travels through the Van Allen radiation belts, positioned over 1,000 kilometers above Earth.
A KASA official stated, "South Korea will continue efforts to find opportunities to participate in space exploration through international cooperation with partners including NASA." This initiative marks a significant step for South Korea in contributing to international space exploration endeavors.