KASA was established on 27 May 2024 as part of a campaign promise made by President Yoon Suk Yeol to reform national politics, including shifting space exploration to the private sector.[3] Seen as the domestic version of NASA, KASA aims to become one of the top five leading space agencies through developing the KSLV-III rocket and creating and landing homegrown spacecraft on the Moon by 2032 and Mars by 2045.[4][5]
The administration was launched as a temporary headquarters by remodeling the Aaron Aviation Ship Industry building located in Sanam-myeon, Sacheon. The location of the new headquarters is currently being determined.[6]
On October 30, 2024, KASA and KARI signed an agreement for the second phase of the lunar exploration project, lunar lander development, and announced that it would begin the project in earnest. The main content is to invest approximately 530 billion won over 10 years to independently develop a lunar lander to be sent to the moon with the goal of landing on the moon in 2032.[7]
In 2022, KSLV-III, which is under development with a budget of 2.132 trillion won and aims to launch a Korean lunar lander in 2032 and achieve a performance more than three times that of Nuri, passed the preliminary feasibility study.[8] KSLV-III is being developed with the goal of its first launch in 2030.[9]
