"Funding and Technology Provided to Foster Private Small Rocket Companies Like 'SpaceX'"

Ministry of Science and ICT Launches Support Project for Small Launch Vehicle Development Capabilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government is fostering companies that create Korea's version of 'SpaceX,' that is, small launch vehicles, to commercialize private satellite launches as a business.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 16th that it will launch the 'Small Launch Vehicle Development Capability Support Project' to promote a private-led small launch vehicle industry. A total of 27.85 billion KRW will be invested over five years starting this year. Three companies will be selected to develop upper-stage engines for small launch vehicles through competitive research and development, and expand to a two-stage launch vehicle using the 75-ton engine of Nuriho as the first stage.

This project mimics the way the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) fostered SpaceX as an innovative space company. NASA supported SpaceX with technology and funding through the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project, helping develop and commercialize the Falcon 9, which became synonymous with private reusable rockets.

As private company-led economic space development is activated, the satellite development method of operating small satellites in constellations is becoming popular worldwide. Accordingly, demand for small launch vehicles, which are suitable for small satellites and have advantages over medium-to-large launch vehicles in terms of economy and timeliness, is continuously increasing. In Korea, demand for launching small satellites is also rising, but due to the absence of small launch vehicles, the launch schedule of Korean satellites is determined according to the launch schedule of overseas medium-to-large satellites.

The support target is space industry companies with Korean nationality wishing to develop small launch vehicles. It is also possible to support consortia composed of industry-academia-research alliances. Three companies (consortia) will be selected to design and manufacture upper-stage (second stage) engines for small launch vehicles, and through two-stage evaluations, one final company will be selected to conduct performance tests of the designed and manufactured engine.

This project focuses on having private companies lead the planning and design of the upper-stage engine. The type of propellant and engine structure will all be selected under the supervision of participating companies. If necessary, partial improvements to the first stage (Nuriho 75-ton engine) design or the use of self-developed and owned engines and technologies for the first stage are possible. At each stage, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute will provide technical advisory support to participating companies, and at the end of each stage, the National Research Foundation of Korea will conduct stage evaluations to select companies for subsequent development stages.

The application period is from the 23rd of this month to the 15th of next month. An evaluation of the project plan will be conducted in April. After the announcement, a project briefing session will be held to provide detailed plans for project implementation.

Kwon Hyun-jun, Director of the Large Public Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "To respond to the paradigm shift in the private space market centered on small launch vehicles worldwide and to smoothly carry out the scheduled launch of 170 public satellites by 2030, the development of economical small launch vehicles is essential." He added, "Through this Small Launch Vehicle Development Capability Support Project, we will enhance the space development capabilities of industries and provide necessary support for domestic space launch vehicle companies to grow into innovative companies like SpaceX."

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