Korea and US Unite in Space Exploration: NASA Launches Groundbreaking Solar Coronagraph on Joint Mission

Location and photo of the CODEX to be mounted on the International Space Station

The solar coronagraph (COronal Diagnostic EXperiment (CODEX)), jointly developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will be released at 11:29 am on the 5th ( 21: 00 on November 4, US local time). On the 1st day, the launch was announced from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA (at approximately 29:29).

CODEX successfully completed its final pre-launch functional check at Goddard Space Flight Center and Kennedy Space Center in the United States from July 29 to August 2, and is currently launching aboard the SpaceX-developed Falcon9 launch vehicle

It is expected that it will take about a week to install the International Space Station (ISS) after the CODEX launch. CODEX will separate from the launch vehicle approximately 10 minutes after launch, dock with the International Space Station approximately one hour later, and then be installed on the International Space Station’s external payload platform (ELC3-3) via a robotic arm. CODEX will then conduct observations for up to 55 minutes during a 90-minute orbital period on the International Space Station.

CODEX simultaneously measures not only the shape of the solar corona, but also the temperature and velocity, which were previously only observable to a limited extent, and produces a two-dimensional image. Through this, we intend to conduct research to solve the secrets of coronal heating and solar wind acceleration, which are considered difficult problems in solar research. The results of this research are expected to contribute to more accurate predictions of space weather.

CODEX mission operations and control will be performed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Astronomy Research Institute plans to receive and monitor information remotely.

Kang Hyeon-woo, head of the Space Agency’s Space Science Exploration Mission Design Program, said: “CODEX, which has been internationally recognized since its development began with the core technology, is now ready for launch. The space agency will successfully complete CODEX and become a powerhouse in solar research and space weather forecasting “I will do my best to make this happen,” he said.