S.Korea, US-developed solar coronagraph installed at International Space Station

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): A solar coronagraph jointly developed by South Korea and the United States has been successfully installed on the International Space Station (ISS) to begin its mission of observing the sun and its outer atmosphere, or corona, Seoul's national space agency said on Wednesday. The Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) was installed on the ISS's external platform, successfully received power, and established communications, according to the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA).

CODEX, a collaboration between the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will perform solar observation missions for up to two years following a one-month test run, starting next year. CODEX is the world's first coronagraph designed to observe the temperature and velocity of the solar wind in addition to the density, KASA said, noting it will help researchers better understand the solar wind and predict the space weather. KASA has also joined hands with NASA to conduct studies related to the Moon exploration Artemis programme. According to officials, the agreement with NASA aims to conduct research projects for sustainable exploration of the Moon and preparations for Mars exploration.

KASA and NASA will also collaborate to conduct feasibility studies on lunar landers, space communications, positioning, navigation and timing, tools and applications to support astronauts, and space-based life sciences and medical operations. The project includes lunar surface science and autonomous power, robotics, mobility systems, and activities in the cis-lunar space, which refers to the region of space between the Earth and the Moon. South Korea is one of the 47 countries that have signed the Artemis Accords, a US-led international agreement for lunar exploration. The two agencies also signed a separate agreement to jointly design a mission concept for operations at the so-called Lagrange point L4, where the sun's and Earth's gravitational forces are balanced.