S.Korea’s KASA to foster space economy, develop future technologies

Seoul, Jan 21
South Korea's national space agency Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) on Tuesday said it will work to foster a private-led space economy and develop future aerospace technologies, such as reusable rockets and advanced satellites, this year.

The KASA outlined its plan to advance Seoul's competitiveness in the global space market in a joint policy report, adding it will work to make the country one of five global leaders in the sector, Yonhap news agency reported.

Under the plan, KASA said it will push for the development of space transportation technologies, such as reusable space rockets, and help a private firm to spearhead the fourth launch of the country's homegrown space launch vehicle Nuri in the fourth quarter.

KASA aims to develop a reusable rocket that would only cost US$1,000 to transport 1 kilogram of cargo to space by mid-2030. It will also launch research programmes to develop an orbital transfer vehicle, manned spacecraft, and space reentry technology.

KASA plans to launch a next-generation midsized satellite for space science research this year, along with a multipurpose satellite for observation of the Korean Peninsula, it said. It will also work to develop more advanced satellite technologies, such as a low Earth orbit satellite communications system and the Korea Positioning System, which is a local satellite navigation system.

In addition, South Korea will launch SPHEREx, a space observatory jointly developed with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), next month.

SPHEREx will become the world's first space observatory to provide an all-sky spectral survey and collect data on more than 450 million galaxies in the Milky Way, according to NASA.

KASA will also kick off preparations to develop technologies needed to explore the moon in 2032 construct a lunar base in the 2040s, and further land a spacecraft on Mars by 2045.

Preparations will begin for KASA's plan to set up the world's first space observatory in L4, one of the stable Lagrange points. Lagrange points are positions in space where the gravitational forces of a two-body system like the sun and Earth create areas of stability, allowing spacecraft to conduct exploration missions with minimal fuel consumption.

For the aviation industry, KASA said it aims to develop technologies for eco-friendly and highly efficient aircraft, as well as an indigenous gas turbine engine.

KASA will also strengthen its partnership with global space powers, such as the United States, Europe, and Japan, expanding its participation in the NASA-led Artemis moon exploration project.