[Asia Exclusive] In the New Space Era, Korea Also Develops Private Space Industry

Sangryul Lee, President of Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Reveals in Asia Economy Interview

The Korean launch vehicle Nuriho (KSLV-II) is soaring powerfully, emitting flames at the second launch pad of Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun on the 21st. Nuriho is a three-stage launch vehicle designed to deploy a 1.5-ton class practical satellite into low Earth orbit (600?800 km). It is the first domestically produced launch vehicle completed entirely with domestic technology, from engine design to manufacturing, testing, and launch operation.
/Goheung=Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Humanity is entering the New Space era. As the private sector leads space development and expands into areas such as tourism, energy production, and deep space exploration, terms like space economy, space industry, and space tourism are becoming part of everyday life.

Korea is also fully joining the New Space era, marked by the first independent space launch vehicle, Nuriho, launched on October 21 last year, which has activated the private space industry. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which has led space development through government policies and research and development (R&D) as a national research institution, is now actively transferring its accumulated know-how in satellite and launch vehicle development and operation to the private sector to foster the private space industry.

Lee Sang-ryul, president of KARI, explained, "We are making efforts to actively transfer the technologies we have accumulated to the private sector to raise the level of space technology in industries and revitalize the industrial base." KARI already boasts world-class technology in the satellite field. The multipurpose practical satellite Arirang 6, scheduled to be launched at the end of next year, will enable ultra-high-resolution earth observation with a resolution of 50 cm, which is considered superior even compared to the latest satellites of space powers such as the United States.

KARI is promoting the next-generation medium-sized satellite development project to transfer such advanced satellite technology to the private sector and activate the space industry. In particular, the first next-generation medium-sized satellite, launched in March this year, was co-developed with industry partners, transferring system and main body development technologies. The second satellite currently under development is entirely managed by the respective company, which is responsible for overall development. In the launch vehicle sector, more than 300 diverse companies participated in the Nuriho project, through which KARI’s technology and know-how were transferred.

President Lee said, "The companies involved in the development of the Nuriho launch vehicle created something from nothing, and the technologies accumulated through this will form the foundation for the future development of the launch vehicle industry." He emphasized, "Korea has world-class technologies in automobiles, semiconductors, and shipbuilding, so by applying these in various ways to space development, we can secure sufficient competitiveness in the global space industry."

However, Lee pointed out that Korea’s space development and space industry still largely depend on government plans, so the government’s role remains important until private sector demand grows. He said, "Apart from private sector participation in space development, government investment in space development is expected to increase. In this process, by clearly setting goals from a national perspective, we can gradually expand the scope of space development, strengthen technological competitiveness, and simultaneously grow the capabilities of the private space industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.