Time to launch a space operations body

Kim Hong-cheol
The author is an industry collaboration professor of aerospace systems engineering at Sejong University.

We are living in the “New Space” era. With the rapid development and universalization of space technology, countries around the world and private companies are competitively launching various satellites into orbit for communication and observation purposes. As a result, space has become crowded with normally functioning satellites, abandoned satellites and debris.

Space is expected to become even more crowded as more clusters of satellites, including those from the United States and China, will be launched by 2030. Space is no longer a calm and organized cosmos. Instead, it has become a venue for heated competition and rivalry.

From a military strategy perspective, space is the “ultimate high ground,” providing a bird’s-eye view of virtually everything. Gaining an advantage in space provides a strategic advantage in surveillance, reconnaissance, offense and defense. Since the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union in 1957, superpowers advanced their reconnaissance satellite capabilities to closely monitor key nuclear facilities of their opponents. At the same time, they have maintained their dominance and hegemony in outer space by strengthening space military capabilities and implementing strategic and operational plans to deter threats.

Our military also recognized the importance of outer space. Since 2020, it has operated the military communication satellite ANASIS-II. Through this satellite, Korea secured a full-time and stable communication network and the ability to conduct independent operations. The first military reconnaissance satellite was launched in December 2023 under the “425 project,” and a total of five satellites will be launched by 2025. By the early to mid-2030s, South Korea will launch ultra-small cluster satellites to shorten their revisit cycle and build a missile early warning system to enable surveillance and real-time missile responses to North Korea’s nuclear threats.

North Korea also successfully launched a military surveillance satellite, the Malligyong-1, in November 2023. Following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s announcement last December that the country would launch three spy satellites in 2024, the North fired a military surveillance satellite, but failed.

At the recent South Korea-Japan-China summit in Seoul, the three countries failed to agree on denuclearizing the North and banning its satellite launches due to China’s opposition. Therefore, China was criticized for giving the North a pretext for future missile and space provocations to complete its nuclear weapons capabilities.

Furthermore, China and Russia are threatening the space assets of not only the United States but also other countries, including South Korea, through space militarization such as the development of nuclear weapons to destroy satellites and the orbital operation of anti-satellite weapons systems.

How can we respond to this rapidly-changing space security environment? A space weapons system must be developed. At the same time, we should establish a “Space Operations Forces” in order to integrate space weapons and make decisive command and control decisions during wartime. As of now, the Korean military’s space capabilities are divided depending on respective missions and objectives.

The Army and Navy are also working to secure space capabilities to prepare for future warfare. The problem is that the military does not yet have a dedicated division or unit to coordinate space-related efforts. In contrast, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and France established space forces to systemically respond to the space competition and militarization by China and Russia.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff must now make balanced plans for space forces to bolster joint operations. It is time to seriously discuss the establishment of a space operations unit to deter the North’s nuclear threats and counter its future militarization of space.

Like other advanced space countries, we must draw up a specific road map and identify space operation capabilities to have a strong space force.

The recently opened Korea Aero Space Administration will push forward major projects such as developing small reusable launch vehicles, constructing offshore launch platforms and developing ultrahigh-res satellites. That will dramatically improve our space capabilities. The military must also launch a joint space operations unit as soon as possible to effectively respond to the militarization of space and prepare for a Korean-style space security posture.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.