By Lee Kap-soo

The Gyengsangnam-do (Gyeongnam) Delegation for International Cooperation in Aerospace, headed by Governor Park Wan-soo, visited NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, USA, on Oct. 6 (local time).

Goddard Space Flight Center was established in 1959 and conducts space observations including the Earth and the solar system, and is the largest research organization and the first space center in the United States composed of scientists and engineers.

It is especially famous for serving as the ground control center for the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched in 1990, and for developing and operating the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest space telescope in existence, which was launched in 2021.

"NASA has agreed to establish a partnership with Gyeongnam Province and the upcoming space agency, to cooperate in the areas of human resource development and people-to-people exchanges," said Governor Park Wan-soo. "Through this visit to NASA, I learned that in order for the space agency to serve as a control tower for the aerospace sector, it must be an organization that integrates and manages all related functions."

Park said, “Through the successful establishment of the space agency and fostering the space industry, we will attract companies and talents to Gyeongnam and create new momentum for regional development."

Makenzie B. Lystrup, director of the center, welcomed the Gyeongnam delegation, saying, "I personally guided President Yoon Suk-yeol during his visit to Goddard Space Flight Center in April, and it was clear to see the interest and enthusiasm that Korea has for establishing a space agency."

The delegation received a briefing on Goddard Space Flight Center's functions, organization, and major research projects from Center Director Makenzie B. Lystrup, and toured major facilities, including the Hubble Space Telescope, a major project at the center, to experience aerospace technology.

Gyeongnam Province is promoting the construction of an aerospace complex city in Sacheon, centered on the Korea Aerospace Administration, to strengthen the city's overall functions and settlement conditions, including transportation, culture, and education.

Through this visit, Gyeongnam province plans to draw a sketch for the design of an aerospace complex city by gaining insights from the Goddard Space Flight Center, which serves as a space exploration and research and development institution and a representative landmark of Maryland.

Governor Park Wan-soo, Jung Young-sik, vice chairman of the Changwon Chamber of Commerce, Lee Young-il, special assistant for policy, Ryu Myung-hyun, director general of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Cho Yeo-moon, head of the Aerospace Industry Division, accompanied the delegation to the Goddard Space Center.

Meanwhile, the Gyeongnam delegation traveled to the western region of the United States on Oct. 9 to attend the '21st World Korean Business Congress' to revitalize the local economy by expanding seafood exports, and to continue a full-scale effort to open up the American market to small and medium-sized enterprises in the province.