Korean CubeSat to Join Artemis II... First Participation in Crewed Lunar Exploration

K-RadCube Joins Crewed Mission as a Secondary Payload
Observing Space Radiation in High Earth Orbit... A Tangible Achievement in Korea-U.S. Space Cooperation

A domestically developed CubeSat will travel into space alongside astronauts, having been loaded onto the United States’ crewed lunar exploration mission Artemis II. This is being recognized as the first case where Korea-U.S. space cooperation extends beyond experimental stages to actual crewed exploration missions.

On January 29, the Korea Aerospace Administration and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute announced that the domestically developed CubeSat, K-RadCube, has completed all ground preparations and is scheduled for launch between February and April from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. K-RadCube will be carried as a payload on NASA’s crewed lunar exploration project, Artemis II.

K-RadCube Operational Concept. Provided by the Space Agency

Artemis II is a crewed test flight mission of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft. K-RadCube will be mounted on the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) and will measure space radiation at different altitudes within the Van Allen Radiation Belts surrounding Earth.

The observational data will be used to analyze the impact of space radiation on crewed astronauts during future Earth-Moon transit missions. This marks the first time a Korean satellite will directly contribute to verifying the safety of crewed space exploration.

This mission is an implementation outcome of the Korea-U.S. Artemis Implementation Agreement (IA) signed last year. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute oversees the entire process, including satellite development, radiation measurement payload, flight certification, mission operation and data management, and post-mission disposal procedures.

Nara Space Technology is responsible for manufacturing the CubeSat, while KT SAT will operate the satellite. As additional payloads, semiconductors from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have been loaded to verify their performance in high-orbit radiation environments. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is providing technical support for the launch vehicle integration and all aspects of the launch.

After launch, K-RadCube will establish initial communication with overseas ground stations and enter its mission orbit through stepwise propulsion maneuvers. The plan is to sequentially raise its perigee altitude from 150 km to 200 km, ultimately settling into a high Earth orbit for its mission.

Unlike typical low-Earth orbit CubeSats, K-RadCube must meet NASA’s stringent crewed flight safety standards, making this a highly challenging mission. It must withstand the intense vibration environment of the SLS launch vehicle and perform rapid initial communication and precise orbital maneuvers immediately after launch in a highly elliptical orbit. The collected observational data will be released worldwide six months after launch.

Yoon Youngbin, Commissioner of the Korea Aerospace Administration, stated, "K-RadCube serves as an example of internationally verifying Korea’s capabilities in deep space CubeSat development and operation, as well as safety and reliability technologies applicable to crewed space exploration. This will serve as a stepping stone for expanding Korea’s technological contributions and roles in future lunar and deep space exploration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.