[Exclusive] Korean Air and DB Group Consider Investment in NASA's New International Space Station

NASA Space Station 'Cupola' Interior Photo

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Soyeon] Domestic companies and institutional investors are considering investing in NASA's new International Space Station construction project.

According to the investment banking (IB) industry on the 18th, major domestic and international companies and investment institutions are planning to visit NASA in early next month for due diligence on NASA's 'Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development (CLD) Project,' which aims to replace the aging International Space Station with a private space station.

A domestic institutional investor said, "NASA is conducting a project to develop a new International Space Station to replace the aging one, and private companies will lead this effort," adding, "We are preparing to visit NASA in early August to seek investment opportunities in the commercialization of the space industry."

In addition to domestic institutions considering participation as financial investors (FI), Korean Air and DB Group are reportedly reviewing investment participation in the fund for NASA's new International Space Station construction. This deal is still in the early stage, with no investment memorandum (IM) released yet. Both Korean Air and DB Group officially stated that they have not yet considered investing in NASA's International Space Station construction project.

NASA is actively working on developing a new private space station to take over after the retirement of the International Space Station in the late 2020s. The plan is to promote innovation through competition among companies in the costly construction and operation of space stations.

NASA's ultimate goal is to create a sustainable space market through the commercialization of low Earth orbit. If our companies and institutions actively participate in investing in private space station construction, it is expected that they will find various opportunities as the space economy grows.

Three companies have been selected as candidates to participate in NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development project. They are Blue Origin, a space exploration company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos; Nanoracks, which has supplied over 1,300 pieces of equipment to the International Space Station over the past decade; and Northrop Grumman, a U.S. defense contractor.

Among these, the company that our companies and investment institutions are considering investing in is Nanoracks, the world's number one company in the space station sector. Nanoracks is planning 'Starlab,' a research and experimental space station aimed to be operational by 2027.

Nanoracks plans to operate Starlab, a single-module space station about three-eighths the size of the International Space Station, in partnership with Lockheed Martin by 2027. This space station will be used for research and experiments and will include biology laboratories, plant growth laboratories, physics and materials laboratories, and open laboratories.

Nanoracks will lead the overall project, with its major shareholder Voyager Space investing, and Lockheed Martin responsible for manufacturing the expandable modules, robotic arms, and experimental systems.

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