Korea’s Aerospace Administration has established a Mars task force in response to the election of US President Donald Trump and the influence of Elon Musk. John Lee, the head of Korea’s state space agency, thinks exploration of Mars will supersede exploration of the Moon as a priority during Trump’s term in the White House and that there is an opportunity for Korea to leap-frog other nation’s space sectors.
Lee, who spent three decades working at NASA, including working as senior advisor at the Goddard Space Flight Center earlier this decade, doesn’t think there will be any sudden shift in strategy. Rather, he thinks there will be a gradual pivot towards Mars.
“As interest in Mars exploration grows in the United States, we must start preparing from now,” told business newspaper Chosun Biz this week. “To respond flexibly to the changes in US policy, we need to prepare and think about Mars exploration in advance.”
The role of the Mars task force is to coordinate messaging between government ministries and various research institutions. “It is important for our government to present a unified voice regarding Mars exploration.”
Korea’s Aerospace Administration already participates in the US’s Mars exploration plans, including attending the Moon To Mars architecture workshop hosted by NASA last year.
Building relationships
Noting Trump’s lean toward private space enterprises like SpaceX rather than NASA, Lee said it was important for Korea to build working relationships with US private sector space companies.
“We will strengthen cooperation with various global space corporations, including not only SpaceX but also Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic,” he said. “We will enhance new aerospace cooperation with the new US government.”
Aside from building space ties with the US, Lee said Korea was on track to have its own reusable space launch vehicle by 2032. “After executing the lunar lander launch mission in 2032, we plan to conduct about five to six next-generation launch vehicle missions by 2035,” he said.
Korea’s Aerospace Administration has previously said there will be sufficient domestic demand for around 90 launches per year by the mid-2030s. Korea is spending around AUD2.2 billion developing the vehicle.
An opportunity to leapfrog rivals
Lee was recruited in 2024 to head the newly established Korean space agency and boost his home country’s role in the global space sector. He has deep ties with the US space establishment. Last week, US Ambassador to Korea Jeff Robinson visited the Aerospace Administration to explore possible cooperation opportunities and talk with Lee.
Lee notes the high initial investment costs to participating in space can deter smaller countries interested in the space sector. However, he says the Korean Government recognises the need to be involved.
“What I’m expecting is the aerospace sector not to expand but to explode,” he said. “And for Korea to become a space-faring nation, we need to harness the private sector, particularly among small and medium-sized companies.
Lee says it will be difficult for the Aerospace Administration’s reusable rocket program to “catch up” with SpaceX. Instead, we have to leapfrog,” he said. We need to invest in those technologies that will leapfrog us into areas where others are not, so we take the lead. It’s riskier, but by going smaller and using the many, Korea can do that.”
