Korea sends radiation-measuring satellite to NASA for Artemis II

The K-RadCube radiation-measuring satellite that will be loaded on Artemis II / Courtesy of Korea AeroSpace Administration

Korea on Tuesday sent a radiation-measuring satellite to NASA in the U.S. for the Artemis II mission, which will be the first case of Korea launching a satellite as part of a crewed space mission.

According to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), it sent the K-RadCube satellite to Incheon International Airport for its flight to the U.S. on early Wednesday morning.

The satellite will be delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and will be loaded onto the Orion Stage Adapter of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The adapter is a structure that connects the crewed Orion spacecraft to the SLS rocket, enabling separation and providing space inside to load cube satellites.

Artemis II is a mission in which four astronauts will travel aboard the Orion spacecraft, orbit the moon and return to Earth. As the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo program, Artemis II is scheduled to launch in April 2026.

K-RadCube will carry out a mission in a highly elliptical Earth orbit to measure space radiation in the Van Allen radiation belts, providing basic data to analyze the effects of radiation on astronauts.

KASA said K-RadCube will first carry out its scientific mission for about 28 hours in its nominal orbit, and, if the condition of the satellite and payload remains stable, the mission could be extended for up to two more weeks.

The Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2) tower is under construction near the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Aug. 1. According to NASA, this new structure is being built to support the larger Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B rocket. It will facilitate future missions aimed at sending humans and cargo to the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program. EPA-Yonhap

The radiation-measuring payload was developed by the Korea Astronomy & Space Science Institute, while the satellite system was developed by Nara Space Technology and ground station operations will be handled by KT SAT.

The satellite will also carry semiconductor devices developed by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to test their radiation tolerance in space.

For the satellite mission, KASA signed an implementation agreement with NASA in May, laying the groundwork to carry out the entire schedule, including the development and transport of the K-RadCube, without delay.

“With the development and manufacturing of a cube satellite that meets the requirements of Artemis II, Korea has enhanced its international competitiveness and will further expand opportunities to participate in space exploration through international cooperation with NASA and others,” a KASA official said.

The Artemis program is aimed at reestablishing a human presence on the moon and facilitating manned missions to Mars. For the program, the United States established the Artemis Accords as a set of international cooperation principles, and Korea became the 10th signatory in 2021.

To assist the program, Korea has mounted NASA’s ShadowCam on its first lunar orbiter, the Danuri, and it is now on a mission of capturing images of the moon’s permanently shadowed regions, which will be used for exploring potential landing sites for Artemis.