This is the coronagraph jointly developed under the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment by Korea and the U.S. (Korea Aerospace Administration)
By Yoo Yeon Gyeong
The Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX), a joint project with the U.S., has developed a solar coronagraph to be launched into space in October to observe the sun.
The Korea Aerospace Administration and Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) on Aug. 8 said they completed the final inspection of CODEX, which was jointly developed with NASA of the U.S.
The joint Korean-U.S. research team in October 2019 started the joint development of the device and completed integrative assembly in April this year. Communications and control function tests on the coronagraph were done at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.
A coronagraph is a telescopic attachment to observe corona, the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere. The CODEX device is the world’s first not only for observing corona but also its temperature and speed, offering a new horizon in solar research.
The gadget will be carried on Cargo Dragon, which was developed by the U.S. space company Space X and will be launched in October from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station.
KASI researcher Kim Yeon-han, the head of the Korean research team, said, “Domestic researchers of the solar space environment can perform more proactive solar research if the CODEX device successfully observes corona.”
dusrud21@korea.kr
