Officials from the United States and the Republic of Korea convened in Washington, DC, on April 14 for the fourth U.S.-ROK Civil Space Dialogue. The U.S. delegation was jointly led by the Department of State’s Deputy Assistant Secretary Rahima Kandahari and NASA's Associate Administrator Karen Feldstein. Leading the ROK delegation were MOFA Director-General Minyoung Han and KASA Vice Administrator John Lee.
The dialogue emphasized strengthening the U.S.-ROK Alliance through cooperation in space activities. Both sides committed to advancing joint research in space exploration and science, Earth observation, and regulatory cooperation.
One focus was enhancing collaboration in space exploration missions, particularly Artemis. NASA and KASA completed a study agreement on future Artemis cooperation, sharing progress on its implementation. Discussions on using the Korean Deep Space Antennae for supporting missions are ongoing. The two countries aim to increase ROK's investment in Moon and Mars exploration capabilities.
Human spaceflight capabilities were also addressed, with the ROK developing such capabilities and exploring opportunities in low Earth orbit. Recently, NASA and KASA implemented an agreement for a potential KASA-led Earth-Sun Lagrange Point 4 Mission, seeking ways to expand partnerships in NASA-led astrophysics missions.
In Earth observation, the dialogue covered future collaborations on meteorological geostationary satellites and ROK’s potential participation in the U.S. Landsat 2030 International Partnership Initiative. Both countries are keen to enhance satellite data exchange and interoperability. They highlighted the success of the ASIA-AQ mission and agreed on expanding efforts in real-time disaster response.
The successful launch of NASA's SPHEREx telescope, with KASI as a partner, was noted. There are intentions to strengthen partnerships in astronomy and space weather, including ROK's cooperation in NOAA’s SWFO-L1 mission. There is a shared interest in advancing space weather prediction technologies.
The United States reaffirmed its support for the development of the Korean Positioning System (KPS), exploring the potential hosting of ground monitor stations on U.S. territory. The ROK will host the 19th annual meeting of the UN-affiliated ICG in October 2025, inviting the U.S. as a significant partner.
The dialogue also covered commercial space cooperation, with discussions on deepening U.S.-ROK industry collaboration and exploring opportunities for ROK's participation in lunar exploration through NASA’s CLPS initiative. Progress was noted towards launching KASI’s lunar science payload with NASA in 2026.
Regulatory alignment was another topic, as both countries presented their space regulatory frameworks. They intend to hold further discussions to enhance mutual understanding on export controls.
Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) cooperation was explored, focusing on secure satellite data provision for maritime transportation routes and security threats. Information sharing between the U.S. NMIO and the Korea Coast Guard was discussed.
The two countries intend to enhance cooperation in the UN COPUOS, Artemis Accords, GEO, and CEOS. The U.S.-ROK Civil Space Dialogue will continue every two years, with the ROK hosting the next dialogue in 2027.
