Flying to the new space age

Han Jae-hung
The author is a professor of aerospace engineering and the director general of the Satellite Technology Research Center at KAIST.

Experts who attended the 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier this month unanimously said the event made them realize that a new space era has begun.

Space development and exploration have long been the sole property of government agencies of a few powerful countries. However, space has become more accessible to many other countries as launch costs dramatically fell in recent years thanks to the reusable rocket technology. Not only small companies but also individuals have the ability to operate satellites now.

In Korea, not only government agencies such as the state-funded Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and companies like the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) but also emerging startups are participating in a heated competition to showcase their unique space technologies. We also see reports of international cooperation to explore space development opportunities and enter overseas markets. We feel that the new space era has opened for Korea, too.

Compared to other advanced countries, Korea started its space program 40 years late. The government investment in space research and development is about 730 billion won ($539.1 million) as of 2021. Although it is less than 1.5 percent of that of the United States, the Korean government has effectively planned and led the space program. Coupled with the dedication of researchers, Korea managed to obtain significant technological capabilities in a relatively short period of time.

The homegrown Nuri rocket, launched in May from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla, was a symbol of Korea’s space technologies. The launch vehicle carried the NEXTSAT-2 — the next-generation small satellite developed by KAIST’s Satellite Technology Research Lab. After entering the orbit smoothly with the help of Nuri, the satellite has so far circled Earth more than 2,000 times, successfully observing the surface of the planet under all weather conditions thanks to Korea’s new satellite imaging radar.

Korea has been operating low orbit satellites at an altitude of about 500 kilometers (311 miles) and geostationary orbit satellites at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. The country also sent a domestically-developed orbiter, Danuri, to the moon last year. Korea is proud to be the seventh country in the world to explore the moon, which is 385,000 kilometers away from the Earth.

However, the race for space supremacy among advanced countries is intensifying more than ever. We should make solid preparations, including the early opening of the National Space Administration. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk participated in the IAC via video conference, announcing his plans for the next-generation launch vehicle Starship and plans to explore Mars. He attracted attention by proposing to hold the congress in Mars in 10 years.

Morgan Stanley predicted that the global space industry will be worth 730 trillion won in 2030, with a very low market share of 1 percent for Korea. Until now, Korea focused on completing a system centered on government-invested research institutes to meet its immediate national security needs rather than bolstering private sector capabilities.

Fortunately, the government has presented a vision for becoming a space powerhouse and ushering in the civilian space era with the goal of increasing Korea’s share of the global space industry to 10 percent by 2045. In particular, the project to build a space industry cluster triangle is being promoted. We can confirm the government’s determination to become a space powerhouse by assigning appropriate roles to three regions: Daejeon, where key talents and infrastructure in the space sector are concentrated; South Jeolla, where the Naro Space Center is located; and South Gyeongsang, where aerospace companies are largely located.

The project’s major plan includes building a civilian launch site to support civilian launch services, expanding space environment test facilities to respond to the rapidly increasing demands for small satellite development, and fostering human resources at research sites. The project is gaining momentum as it was exempted from the required preliminary feasibility study in August.

As the space industry has a much longer payback period than others, its short-term effects are uncertain. So, the government made a timely decision to make an exception. There is high anticipation that the ongoing adequacy review by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) will incorporate constructive opinions of various experts, so that the space cluster project will lay a stepping stone for the country to become a space power in the near future.