Korean Solar Corona Research Opens New Horizons [Now in Space]

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft carrying the Solar Coronagraph (CODEX) successfully docked to the ISS at 11:52 PM on the 5th, Korean time. [Photo = NASA/SpaceX] The solar coronagraph



developed by Korea and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has docked to the International Space Station (ISS). It is expected that new horizons will open up in the study of the solar corona in the future.



A coronagraph is a special telescope that can observe the corona, the outermost region of the solar atmosphere, which is 1 million times darker than the surface of the sun. The photosphere, the surface of the sun, is very bright, so it is difficult to observe the corona from the ground except during a total solar eclipse. The corona can only be observed by artificially covering the surface of the sun.



The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Administrator Yoon Young-bin) and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (President Park Young-deuk) announced on the 5th that the Solar Coronagraph (CODEX, COronal Diagnostic EXperiment) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, and that SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship carrying CODEX successfully docked to the ISS at 11:52 p.m. on the 5th.



SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft docking to the ISS on the 5th. [Photo = NASA/SpaceX]



The KASI confirmed information from SpaceX that the first and second stages of the launch vehicle separated immediately after launch, and that the Dragon cargo ship and the second stage of the launch vehicle separated. It was confirmed that the Dragon cargo ship successfully docked with the International Space Station approximately 12 hours after launch.



CODEX will be installed at the scheduled location (ELC3-3) of the ISS using NASA's automated robotic arm over a period of three days, from the 9th to the 11th. After a commissioning period of about one month after installation, it will perform a solar observation mission for up to 55 minutes per ISS's 90-minute orbital cycle for six months to a maximum of two years.



CODEX does not just photograph the shape of the solar corona. It is the first in the world to simultaneously observe the temperature and speed of the corona, which could only be observed in a limited manner in the past, with a single device and implement it as a two-dimensional image.



The research team of Dr. Yeon-han Kim and Dr. Seong-hwan Choi of the KAIST said, "We are very happy and still nervous that the joint cooperation and development in the field of heliophysics with NASA that began in 2016 has matured and succeeded in the launch and docking."



SpaceX's Dragon carrying CODEX is being launched on the morning of the 5th, Korean time. [Photo = NASA/SpaceX]



Dr. Jeffrey Newmark, NASA's principal investigator, said, "This is a successful example of symbiotic technology that combines Korea's excellent software technology with NASA's optical system and sun tracking device technology," adding, "We will focus on the remaining installation and operation of the International Space Station."



Kang Hyun-woo, head of the Space Science Exploration Mission Design Program at the space agency, added, "The successful launch of the next-generation coronagraph CODEX signifies significant progress in space environmental forecasting and related research due to solar activity," adding, "This launch shows that our country's status in the field of space science has been elevated to a higher level."





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