Naro Space Center Opens Doors to Private Sector... Full-Scale Access to Launch Facilities Begins

Korea Aerospace Research Institute Announces "Guidelines for Private Companies' Use"
Laying the Foundation for Growth of the Private Launch Vehicle Industry

A new pathway has opened for domestic private space companies to directly utilize the Naro Space Center for testing and launching their own rockets.

On October 31, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute officially released the "Guidelines for Private Companies' Use of the Naro Space Center" to support the development and launch activities of private-sector rockets.

A view of the Naro Space Center docking facility, which can be utilized even before the construction of a private launch site. Provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute

This guideline serves as a manual to reasonably and transparently open the facilities, equipment, and services of the Naro Space Center-a core hub for Korea’s space development-to private entities. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute has incorporated a wide range of feedback from private companies and systematized the procedures so that businesses can conduct launch campaigns in a safe and predictable environment.

The guideline details the major facilities, equipment, and services available for private companies. Notably, it allows the use of docking facilities and idle land within the Naro Space Center as temporary launch campaign sites even before the completion of a dedicated private launch site, which is scheduled for 2027.

Private companies seeking to use the Naro Space Center must complete a four-step process. First, they conduct a preliminary consultation with the space center to review technical compatibility and launch feasibility. Next, they undergo a technical safety review and approval process to determine suitability for use. Once approved, companies proceed with contractual steps such as paying usage fees and obtaining insurance before moving on to launch operations. After the launch, the process is finalized through result reporting and post-launch management.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute stated, "We have introduced a new preliminary consultation system to assess launch feasibility in advance, and we plan to continuously refine the criteria by reflecting private-sector feedback during actual implementation." Lee Sangcheol, President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, commented, "This guideline marks a meaningful first step in sharing the space center assets accumulated by the public sector with private companies. We will actively support the systematic growth of the domestic private launch vehicle industry ecosystem."

The newly released "Guidelines for Private Companies' Use of the Naro Space Center" can be found in the announcements section of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's official website.

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