The Korea Institute for Astronauts (KIFA), where Professor David William Kim of our university's College of Liberal Arts is active, has officially signed a General Agreement for Cooperation with Titans Space Industries Inc. (TSI) in Florida, USA.

This agreement, finalised following multiple high-level discussions between the two institutions, covers astronaut selection policies for upcoming lunar and Mars missions (2034), international standards, and international joint research experiments addressing potential hazards and safety issues in space exploration. These include space medicine, spacesuits, space food, space tourism, and research on obstacles and mental health.

Strategic discussions involved Titans Space Industries CEO Neil (NSL) Rakhman and TSI Chief Astronaut William MacArthur, alongside KIFA Director Professor David W. Kim (FRAS, FRHistS) and the KIFA leadership team.

The core pillar of this partnership is  ‘specialised human resource exchange’. KIFA may serve as a key recruitment partner for TSI's elite Astronaut Candidate (ASCAN) programme. Leveraging KIFA's academic and development capabilities, TSI plans to select and train highly experienced engineering astronauts to perform critical assembly and construction tasks in orbit for the construction of the Sysluna transport infrastructure. This aims to establish the LEO Titans Orbital Port Space Station (LEO TOPSS) and the Lunar TOPSS.

The two organisations have agreed to establish detailed plans through consultations between relevant leadership and key personnel regarding specialised space projects, including research in LEO, the Moon, and Mars. They will also exchange scientific information, academic materials, and publications, and conduct joint space activities.