S. Korea pushing for joint space experiment with Japan

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's state-run aerospace research institute said Sunday it is pushing to conduct joint orbital experiments with Japan starting in 2012 as part of its long-term space-exploration program.

The plan is aimed at helping South Korea to develop so-called mission unique
equipment for Japan's Kibo science module on the International Space Station
(ISS) orbiting the Earth, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said in a
report.
The equipment will be sent into space by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA), which will be responsible for testing and operating it.
KARI said its Japanese counterpart recommended building equipment that can help
both countries share results of various experiments conducted on the ISS.
Once arrangements are made with JAXA, local South Korean scientists will draw up
a list of experiments that can be conducted in orbit and begin manufacturing test
equipment around 2010, it said.
The space station built by the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and 11
European countries is used to conduct tests on basic biology, chemistry, new
materials, medicine and to generally expand understanding of space. Construction
began in 1998 with astronauts manning it from late 2000.
Scientists have used the space station to conduct experiments because its
near-zero gravity and natural vacuum offer many advantages to tests that can be
carried on Earth.
South Korea is a relative newcomer in the space exploration field, having sent
its first astronaut into space aboard a Russian rocket last year.
South Korea plans to launch its first space rocket from its soil this year and
build a 700-ton booster on its own by 2017 to send a satellite to the moon in
2020.