Government to Spend 734 Billion Won on 'Space' This Year... Largest Ever Amount

Confirmed at the Space Development Promotion Working Committee Meeting on the 25th
First to Carry Out All Three Major Areas: Launch Vehicles, Satellites, and Space Exploration

President Moon Jae-in, after observing the launch of the Korean launch vehicle 'Nuriho (KSLV-2)' on the afternoon of October 21 last year, visited the launch control management room at Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, to encourage the researchers. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government will invest a record-breaking 734 billion KRW in space development this year.

On the 25th, the government held the 40th Space Development Promotion Working Committee meeting to review and finalize the implementation plan for space development promotion this year. This budget scale for space development represents an approximately 18.9% increase compared to last year, marking the largest scale ever. Notably, for the first time in South Korea's space development history, all three major areas?launch vehicles, satellites, and space exploration?will be undertaken.

First, regarding launch vehicles, new projects will be promoted to secure next-generation launch vehicle technology for technological independence and to strengthen the capabilities of private launch vehicle companies. A 100-ton class high-performance liquid rocket engine, to be applied in the development of the next-generation space launch vehicle, will be designed, and preliminary development of manufacturing technology and key components will be conducted.

In the satellite sector, the multipurpose practical satellite (Arirang) 6 and the next-generation medium-sized satellite 2, which will perform various public missions through precise ground observation, will be launched in the second half of this year. The domestically independently developed multipurpose practical satellite 6 is equipped with a sub-meter class Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), enabling ground observation regardless of weather or day/night conditions. The next-generation medium-sized satellite 2, the first satellite developed under the leadership of domestic industries, is expected to provide various public images for disaster response and national spatial information utilization services after launch.

South Korea's first space probe, the 'Lunar Orbiter,' will also be launched in the second half of this year after ground tests such as space environment simulation. It will carry five payloads made domestically, including a gamma-ray spectrometer, magnetometer, and space internet. NASA's ShadowCam, which will be carried together, will capture images of the Moon's shadowed regions and contribute to the Artemis program's manned lander candidate site exploration, an international space exploration plan. The largest space development project in South Korea's history (total budget of 3.72 trillion KRW), the 'Korean Satellite Navigation System Development Project,' will also commence in earnest this year.

Additionally, an international space event will be held domestically in June, hosting the International Astronautical Congress (IACD) in Jeju Island. The government plans to strengthen international space cooperation networking by holding working meetings and workshops targeting major emerging space development countries.

Policies to build infrastructure for a private-led space development ecosystem and to nurture space personnel will also be promoted. To support domestic companies entering the launch vehicle market, a new private launch site will be constructed within the Naro Space Center. From August this year, a preliminary feasibility study will be conducted for a space industry cluster that establishes a technological cooperation system among launch vehicle and satellite companies and research institutes to create a self-sustaining industrial ecosystem. Five 'Future Space Education Centers' will be designated based on industry-academia-research consortiums to establish a system for nurturing specialized space personnel in strategically necessary space technology fields.

Furthermore, a satellite information utilization implementation plan was reported. To activate satellite information utilization, the National Satellite Integrated Operation Center, an integrated control and operation facility for national low Earth orbit satellites, will be opened, and a user-centered satellite operation and utilization support system will be established, including the development of AI and big data support systems. Satellite information utilization services contributing to public life and safety will be expanded across various fields such as weather forecasting, disaster response, marine satellite information services, and spatial information services covering weather, environment, ocean, and national territory.

To prepare for space hazards, the space hazard preparedness implementation plan was also reported, which includes strengthening international cooperation by participating in the Global Sentinel, an international space situational awareness exercise led by the U.S. Space Force. Since 2020, the government has been enhancing its own space hazard monitoring capabilities through projects such as space object surveillance infrastructure technology development from 2020 to 2024. Specifically, development of space debris surveillance radar system technology, construction of a 1.5m class wide-field optical telescope, and development of an integrated space hazard analysis system are underway.

The Korean launch vehicle advancement project was also reported. From this year until 2027, the government will invest approximately 687.3 billion KRW to conduct four additional launches of the Nuri rocket and foster the launch vehicle industry through technology transfer to the private sector. To solidify South Korea's autonomous space mission capabilities and respond to the new space market trend where private capabilities are strengthened, 172.76 billion KRW will be invested this year alone. The plan to resolve issues with the Nuri rocket's third stage and the second launch scheduled for June were also reviewed and approved. Additionally, the establishment of a ground receiving station for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) solar wind monitoring satellite at the Space Radio Center (located in Jeju) by 2024, and the collection, processing, and distribution of core data for space radio environment forecasting and warning were discussed.

Yong Hong-taek, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "This year is an important year to carry out space development projects that attract great public interest and expectations, such as the second launch of the Nuri rocket, the launch of the multipurpose practical satellite 6, the next-generation medium-sized satellite 2, and the lunar orbiter launch." He added, "I ask government ministries and research institutions to continuously communicate and cooperate to successfully accomplish these missions so that the public's enthusiasm for space development can continue."

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