[Boryung Press Release] On August 12, Boryung announced that it hosted the 2024 Humans In Space(HIS) roadshow at the Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery(ASCEND), the premier space industry event, held in Las Vegas from July 30 to August 1.

ASCEND is an annual space industry conference organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics(AIAA), the world's largest aerospace technical society. Co-hosted with the Aviation Forum this year, the event attracted nearly 3800 global experts from government, industry, and academia, including representatives from NASA, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin to discuss the latest advancements in space exploration.

Boryung organized a dedicated session and operated an exclusive booth to foster engagement in the global space healthcare ecosystem and the HIS platform. The session focused on underscoring the significance of space healthcare in future space exploration. It also presented the outcomes of the HIS Challenge held thus far and outlined the future roadmap for the initiative.

The final round of this year's Humans In Space Challenge will be co-hosted with the International Astronautical Congress(IAC) in Milan in October. The startups and researchers selected through the final round will have the opportunity to send their ideas and experiments to orbit through Axiom Space’s crewed mission(Ax-Mission).

For the second consecutive year, Jay Kim, Boryung's CEO and Chairman, delivered the opening speech. He also participated in a panel discussion on the ‘Importance of International Collaboration in Space Exploration.’ The panel included industry experts such as Karen Feldstein, NASA Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations, and Debra Facktor, the Head of U.S. Space Systems for Airbus U.S. Space & Defense.

Citing the partnership between Boryung and Axiom Space as an example, Jay Kim emphasized that "collaboration between Korea and the United States in the private sector is paving the way for Korea to leverage space infrastructure." He further underscored that "global cooperation, competition, and government investment are all essential for developing a sustainable space economy."

Boryung also signed memorandums of understanding(MOUs) with Varda Space Industries, Inc. and AIAA at the HIS exhibition booth during ASCEND to expand the reach of the HIS platform. By partnering with these organizations, Boryung intends to continuously elevate the HIS platform by leveraging the capabilities and networks of the involved parties.

Varda, the world's first in-space pharmaceutical processing and hypersonic Earth re-entry logistics company, successfully processed a new form of the antiretroviral drug ritonavir in orbit. Varda's W-1 capsule was the first-ever commercial spacecraft to land on US soil when it re-entered in Feb. 2024. Future HIS Challenge winners will have a chance to leverage Varda's platform for conducting research in low-Earth orbit. Furthermore, Varda's experts will contribute to the HIS Challenge as esteemed judges.

"Building upon last year's success, we had the opportunity to meet with a diverse group of experts at this year's ASCEND and discuss potential partnerships," stated Jack Lim, the Head of New Portfolio Investment Group at Boryung. "These valuable exchanges have strengthened the HIS platform's position as a leading global initiative in the space healthcare sector."