Chairman Kim Seung-yeon Visits Hanwha Aero R&D Campus After 5 Years: "Space Challenge Just Beginning"

Kim Dong-kwan Accompanies... "Let's Innovate Ourselves to Become Global Champions"
Encouragement Letters at Every Nuriho Launch... Selfies with Researchers Too

Seung-yeon Kim, Chairman of Hanwha Group, visited Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon R&D Campus on the 29th of last month to hold a meeting with Nuri rocket (KSLV-II) researchers and employees, encouraging the selection of the sole negotiator for the next-generation launch vehicle (KSLV-III) project. This marks Chairman Kim's first on-site management visit in about 5 years and 4 months since the groundbreaking ceremony of the Vietnam engine parts factory at the end of 2018. The Daejeon R&D Campus is the only launch vehicle development center in Korea that carries out development across all fields of launch vehicles.

Also present was Dong-kwan Kim, the eldest son and Vice Chairman overseeing the group's space business. On the 20th of last month, Hanwha Aerospace was selected as the negotiation target for the 'Next-Generation Launch Vehicle Development Project Launch Vehicle Overall Lead Manufacturer' by the Public Procurement Service, enabling the development of the next-generation launch vehicle connecting the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and the Nuri rocket. This is a core national space program project to develop a new launch vehicle that will send key payloads of the national space development roadmap, such as the lunar lander, into space.

On the 29th, Kim Seung-yeon, Chairman of Hanwha Group, is making a 'finger heart' gesture with researchers and taking a commemorative photo at Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon R&D Campus. Photo by Hanwha Group

On this day, Chairman Kim said, "With the successful third launch of the Nuri rocket, South Korea has become the seventh country to independently develop and possess space launch vehicles," adding, "Let us take the selection as the sole negotiator for the next-generation launch vehicle project not as an end but as a beginning, advancing the space era and becoming a hope for future generations."

Chairman Kim also did not forget to emphasize the fourth launch of the Nuri rocket, which Hanwha Aerospace will lead. He stated, "With the perfect success of the fourth launch scheduled for 2025, Hanwha Aerospace must meet the public's expectations for its role as a space-specialized company."

On this day, Chairman Kim left a message in the guestbook at the Daejeon R&D Campus: "Hanwha's challenge toward space is truly beginning now. Let us continuously challenge ourselves and innovate to become a global champion."

Chairman Kim has written encouraging letters and sent gifts to researchers every time the Nuri rocket was launched. Senior researcher Sae-bin Eom, who attended the meeting, brought the encouragement letter she received during the first launch and obtained Chairman Kim's handwritten signature. Researcher Eom said, "I feel great pride as a member of Hanwha." Upon Chairman Kim's arrival, the researchers welcomed him and took selfies together.

On the 29th, Kim Seung-yeon, Chairman of Hanwha Group, is taking a selfie with researchers at Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon R&D Campus.
[Photo by Hanwha Group]

Hanwha Group has invested a cumulative total of 900 billion KRW in the space business. Centered on Vice Chairman Dong-kwan Kim, efforts have been made to secure proprietary technology and build an independent value chain.

As a result, Hanwha Aerospace secured space transportation through launch vehicles, while Satrec Initiative and Hanwha Systems are responsible for satellite manufacturing and satellite services, respectively, establishing a space business value chain.

In February, Hanwha Aerospace held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Space Hub Launch Vehicle Manufacturing Center in the Yulchon Industrial Complex in Suncheon. Once completed, the center is expected to further solidify its position as a private system integration company.

On the 29th, Kim Seung-yeon, Chairman of Hanwha Group, is writing in the guestbook to commemorate his visit to Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon R&D Campus.
[Photo by Hanwha Group]

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