Hanwha, 45 Middle School Students Complete 2nd Term of 'Pebbles of the Universe'

Discovering and Educating Space Talents... Joint Operation with KAIST
Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aero, "Leading the Private Sector in Space Economy"

Hanwha announced on the 8th that it completed the graduation ceremony for the 2nd term of the 'Pebbles of the Universe' program, which was conducted over six months for 45 first- and second-year middle school students at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon on the 6th.

'Pebbles of the Universe' is a program jointly planned by Space Hub, Hanwha's space business consortium, and the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST to discover and nurture space prodigies. Hanwha covers the costs.

Hanwha stated, "Last year, we completed the 2nd term of the 'Pebbles of the Universe' program themed 'Mars Exploration' and the 2023 recruitment for 'Space Hub Crew' for hiring in the space sector," adding, "We are concretizing the space talent roadmap of discovery-nurturing-hiring."

The 2nd term, held from July to December last year, was themed on Mars exploration in line with the government's space economy roadmap aiming for 'Mars exploration in 2045.' At the graduation ceremony, students presented various ideas and concrete results for Mars exploration, such as 'Oxygen Generation System Using Bacteria,' 'Space Solar and Wind Power Generation,' and 'Food Supply Using Smart Farms and Food Printers.'

Graduates are taking a commemorative photo at the completion ceremony of the 2nd class of 'Pebbles of the Universe' held at KAIST in Daejeon on the 6th. Photo by Hanwha

All graduates will visit the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Space Education Center and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Japan, receive KAIST gifted education institute course vouchers, expert career consulting, and a graduation certificate from the KAIST president. The 3rd term is scheduled to be recruited in the first half of this year.

In April last year, Hanwha established the 'Space Hub Launch Vehicle Research Center,' a space business R&D organization, in Daejeon. Additionally, it is constructing a 23,000㎡ (approximately 7,000 pyeong) space launch vehicle final assembly plant in Jeonnam, investing about 50 billion KRW to assemble not only Nuriho but also future next-generation launch vehicles.

Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, said, "Based on continuous investment, we will successfully complete the 'Nuriho Advancement Project' and actively participate in future government space projects such as next-generation launch vehicle projects to lead the private-sector-driven space economy."

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