Full-Scale Deployment of Satellite Navigation Systems Over the Korean Peninsula Begins

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The development of the Korean Positioning System (KPS), a satellite navigation system created by Korea to establish a satellite navigation system over the Korean Peninsula, has officially begun.

On the 18th, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) held the inauguration ceremony for the KPS Development Project Headquarters in the afternoon.

The KPS development project is a project to develop and establish a satellite navigation system that provides ultra-precise positioning, navigation, and timing information for the area near the Korean Peninsula. The positioning, navigation, and timing information provided by satellite navigation systems are essential elements for operating national core infrastructures such as transportation, communication, and finance. Recently, demand for ultra-precise positioning, navigation, and timing information has surged in new industries such as autonomous vehicles and urban air mobility. Over 14 years from this year until 2035, a total budget of 3.72345 trillion KRW will be invested to develop the KPS satellite system, ground system, and user system, and a total of eight satellites will be deployed into orbit. The first satellite will be launched in 2027, and pilot services will begin in 2034.

Although Korea has developed several Earth observation satellites, this is the first attempt to develop navigation satellites. In May, through the Korea-US summit joint statement, it was agreed to cooperate with the United States, which has the most abundant technology and experience in the satellite navigation field.

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "KPS is the largest space development project in history, which will greatly contribute to revitalizing the private space industry, and will improve the accuracy of smartphones and navigation systems so that the general public can feel its effects." It added, "By providing meter-level and centimeter-level services that are much more accurate than existing satellite navigation systems, it will contribute to fostering new industries such as autonomous vehicles and urban air mobility, and is expected to become a core infrastructure in the upcoming space economy era."

The KPS Development Project Headquarters is an independent project headquarters established within KARI that oversees KPS research and development. The inauguration ceremony was held to commemorate the commencement of KPS research and development. Representatives from various research and development institutions, specialized agencies, and government ministries participating in the KPS development project attended the ceremony. Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT and officials from each institution attended, listened to the research and development plan presentation by Heo Moon-beom, head of the KPS Development Project Headquarters, and discussed the future development direction and major issues of KPS.

At the event, Minister Lee said, "The KPS development project is the largest space development program in Korea's history and an important project to establish national infrastructure essential for new industries in the Fourth Industrial Revolution." He added, "We will spare no support, including organizing a pan-government promotion system, to ensure the smooth development of KPS, the next-generation leader in the space economy era."

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