S. Korea, Saudi Arabia sign space cooperation agreement

SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's space agency said Wednesday it has signed a cooperation agreement with its Saudi Arabian counterpart to enhance bilateral cooperation in the space sector.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation between the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) was signed in Riyadh on the occasion of a South Korean public-private delegation's visit to the Saudi capital.

Under the MOU, the two agencies will collaborate in deep space technology and communications, human spaceflight programs, satellite launches and payloads, as well as space science and engineering capacity-building initiatives.

The delegation included officials from key aerospace firms, such as the Korea Aerospace Industries, Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Aerospace and Innospace.

Saudi Arabia established the SSA in 2018 as part of its strategy to position space as a key national industry, investing in satellite development and communications technologies, including the SaudiSat satellite initiative.

"We will continue to expand international partnerships to support the global expansion of Korean space companies," Yoon Young-bin, head of KASA, said.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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