South Korean space agency plans to foster 30,000 space talents by 2045
The national space agency on Wednesday announced a plan to establish a cross-sectoral education system aimed at fostering a total of 30,000 aerospace talents by 2045 as part of its long-term strategy to become a global space powerhouse in the face of the New Space era, Yonhap reports.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) revealed the initiative at a government policy meeting chaired by acting President Choi Sang-mok. The ambitious plan is designed to build a space industry ecosystem in response to the New Space era, which refers to the increasing role of private companies in the space sector.
Under the plan, the agency will collaborate with related government ministries to expand the young talent pool in space science, foster mission-oriented specialists and train a field-ready workforce.
To this end, the agency aims to increase the number of young aerospace trainees from 300 to 1,500 per year.
To achieve such a goal, KASA will develop space education programs for students and introduce public outreach initiatives similar to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Ambassador Program, which enlists volunteers to promote space exploration nationwide.
Additionally, KASA plans to work on expanding space education in elementary and secondary schools through after-school programs and integration with the new high school credit system.
KASA's plan also includes an internship program at KASA and three major space industry clusters to be built in Daejeon, South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province, serving as a hub for recruiting and fostering talents in the local areas.
To enhance practical training, KASA will operate strategy centers for space technology and support industry-academia partnership programs.
The acting president stressed the importance of developing human resources.
"To become one of the five major global powers in space, we need to focus on fostering a professional workforce in the space industry, with active participation from young adults," he said at the meeting. "The global technology war is also taking place in space."
Choi added the government will also work to promote more exchanges between universities and research institutes to help the country secure more advanced research and development capabilities in the sector.
Earlier, it was reported that the SPHEREx, a space telescope jointly developed by South Korea and the United States, has entered an initial operation stage following its successful launch last week.
