South Korea
South Korea’s first lunar orbiter on way to the moon
South Korea’s first lunar orbiter has begun its voyage toward the moon on a mission critical to the country’s future space projects.
Hyundai partners with research institutes to develop vehicle for lunar surface exploration
The Korean carmaker and its sister company Kia Motors formed a consortium July 27 with six state-funded research institutes here to explore the concept of lunar exploration mobility and core technologies required.
South Korean rocket puts satellites in orbit for the first time in second flight
South Korea’s homegrown rocket KSLV-2 successfully put satellites into low Earth orbit for the first time in its second flight June 21.
South Korean ground station operator Contec raises Series C round for global expansion
Contec said June 10 that it had raised 61 billion won ($47.3 million) in a Series C funding round to pursue its goal of building a global ground station network and operating its own Earth observation satellites.
South Korea cancels Apophis probe
Citing a “lack of technical capabilities,” South Korea has dropped the plan of developing a robotic spacecraft to escort asteroid Apophis during its 2029 close encounter with Earth.
Biden vows to expand space cooperation with South Korea, Japan
U.S. President Joe Biden promised to expand space cooperation with Japan and South Korea during back-to-back summits with the leaders of two East Asian allies.
South Korea’s new president seeks independent space agency, deeper US space cooperation
South Korea’s newly elected president Yoon Suk-yeol will take office May 10 with a set of ambitious space projects aimed at making the country a major space power by 2035.
NaraSpace Technology closes $7.88 million Series A for nanosatellite project
South Korean startup NaraSpace Technology will use the $7.88 million to pursue the development of optical remote-sensing nanosatellites.
South Korea’s Innospace schedules December test launch carrying Brazilian military payload
South Korean rocket startup Innospace announced May 3 that it will conduct its first suborbital test launch of flight hardware in December from the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil, carrying a Brazilian military payload.
U.S., South Korea agree to cooperate on space situational awareness for military purposes
The SSA pact is part of a broader space security agreement reached between John D. Hill, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense, and Cho Yong-geun, the South Korean defense ministry’s director of North Korea policy, during the April 25 session of the Space Cooperation Working Group (SCWG) in Washington
South Korea “welcomes” U.S. moratorium on anti-satellite missile tests; China skeptical
South Korea “welcomed” America’s self-imposed ban on direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile tests that create orbital debris.
South Korea’s double-digit space budget boost
South Korea is boosting its space spending this year by 19% over 2021 levels as it seeks to bounce back from October’s failed attempt to prove it can put up a satellite without Russian rocket hardware.
South Korea hires SpaceX to launch five spy satellites by 2025
South Korea has signed a contract with SpaceX to launch five spy satellites by 2025, with the first launch on a Falcon 9 rocket by the end of 2023.
Russian sanctions throw South Korean satellite missions into uncertainty
South Korea, at least for now, is pushing forward with its planned launch of two satellites on Russian rockets this year. Still, it doesn’t rule out the possibility that the missions could be delayed due to sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine.
Design flaw blamed for failed debut of South Korea’s new satellite launcher
The failed October debut of South Korea’s KSLV-2 rocket is being blamed on improperly anchored helium tanks inside the three-stage rocket’s upper stage.
South Korea, Australia sign MOU on space cooperation
South Korea and Australia agreed to work together to improve capacities in space situational awareness, Earth observation, space traffic and debris management.
South Korea’s Hanwha to expand space business portfolio with rocket development
Hanwha Aerospace unveiled the plan Dec. 6, saying it recently held a joint meeting with South Korea's space agency for preliminary requirement review on their envisioned rocket.
China silent, South Korea ‘concerned’ over debris created by Russia’s anti-satellite missile test
South Korea’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the “numerous pieces of debris” created in low Earth orbit when Russia destroyed a Soviet-era satellite with a missile strike earlier this week but stopped short of criticizing Russia.
South Korean ground station operator orders its first EO satellite
Contec signed a contract with NanoAvionics for an Earth observation satellite that will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the second half of 2023.
South Korea to develop reusable rocket with 100-ton thrust engines
The plan to develop a reusable rocket came as a surprise because “reusability” was nowhere to be seen in the government’s budget request for 2022 — in which South Korea’s next-generation rocket was supposed to be an expendable rocket.
