SEOUL, South Korea and LAS VEGAS, Nov. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boryung, a leading healthcare investment company, has announced that it successfully hosted the Humans In Space (HIS) Symposium co-located with Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery (ASCEND). Powered by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), ASCEND is recognized as the world's premier collaborative, outcomes-driven, interdisciplinary space event. This year's conference, held from October 23 to 25 in Las Vegas, marks the first time that AIAA has entered a partnership with a South Korean company for ASCEND. 2023 ASCEND welcomed the attendance of over 1,600 global experts from the space industry, government, private sector, and academia, including prominent organizations such as NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and MIT.
Jay Kim, Chairman and CEO of Boryung, delivers opening speech at the 2023 ASCEND on October 23, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The HIS Symposium aimed to foster an ecosystem in the space industry for long-term human spaceflight, addressing human healthcare and lifestyle in space and utilizing the space environment to tackle healthcare problems on Earth. The symposium was co-hosted by Boryung, Axiom Space, and Aurelia Institute. It also involved partnerships with experts from the space industry, academia, and the investment sector, including NASA, SpaceX, and Johns Hopkins University.
Jay Kim, the Chairman and CEO of Boryung, was invited to deliver the opening and closing speeches at the invitation of the ASCEND conference. Moreover, he actively contributed to the panel discussion, joining fellow experts in a profound exploration of the future and market dynamics of the space industry. Joining him on the panel were industry experts such as Carissa Christensen, CEO of BryceTech, and Bhavya Lal, former Associate Administrator for technology, policy, and strategy within the office of the NASA Administrator, among others.
During this insightful discussion, Jay Kim stated, "The scope of the space industry ecosystem is rapidly expanding to include satellites, launch vehicles, and other new fields." He further underscored, "In the future, companies that can utilize space infrastructure to carry out government-level space projects and expand their business to the private sector will lead the space industry."
The HIS Symposium also held the final pitch of the HIS Challenge initiated in May, which resulted in the applications of over 100 teams from 31 countries. Following a meticulous evaluation process, the selected 15 startups and 8 research teams pitched their solutions and findings at the HIS Symposium. Boryung, together with Axiom Space and Aurelia Institute, will announce the final awardees in mid-November, offering US$100,000 in investment to each startup and US$30,000 in support for the research teams. A number of startup awardees may also send their experiments in next Axiom mission through the $500,000 Axiom Startup Credit. Building upon the HIS Symposium, co-located with ASCEND, Boryung plans to lead the global space healthcare and infrastructure agenda, expand the space ecosystem, and actively explore business opportunities.
Jack Lim, Head of Boryung's New Portfolio Investment Group, noted, "During the symposium, we observed significant interest from various national agencies and corporations willing to partner with Boryung. Just a year after launching the Care In Space initiative, we teamed up with prominent U.S. space organizations, bolstering our presence." He added, "This collaboration accelerates our efforts to advance global initiatives for HIS, promoting enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing."
Media Inquiries:
Edelman Korea
Kiyoon Kay, Kiyoon.Kay@edelman.com
Vanessa Lee, vanessa.lee@edelman.com
About Boryung
Boryung is a healthcare investment company founded in 1957 and headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Following the company's mission to become an indispensable contributor to human health, it has expanded their business portfolio to the space healthcare industry. Recognizing space as a new realm for growth, Boryung acknowledges the increasing number of individuals anticipated to embark on prolonged space missions, highlighting the importance of ensuring human survival in the hostile space environment. Hence, the company believes there will be substantial opportunities to foster new technologies and meet emerging needs in this field.
About ASCEND
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND, which stands for Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery, is the world's premier collaborative, outcomes-driven, interdisciplinary community designed to accelerate the building of our off-world future. For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world's largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
