[Exclusive] Korea's Reusable Rocket Aims for Over 10 Launches... Ushering in the Era of Reusability by 2035 [Reading Science]

KARI Begins Development of Core Technologies for Repeat Operation

Nondestructive Testing and AI-Based Health Management in Focus

First Flight Set for 2031, Technology Validation in 2032

Targeting Full Reusable Technology by 2035

The government has begun developing core operational technologies for the Korean next-generation (reusable) launch vehicle currently under development, aiming to enable a single vehicle to be launched more than ten times. The key is not merely recovering rockets but establishing a repetitive operational system where artificial intelligence (AI) determines the vehicle’s reusability, followed by inspection and maintenance for repeated launches.

According to the aerospace industry on July 13, Korea Aerospace Research Institute is pushing ahead with commissioned research to secure core technologies for repeated operation as part of its next-generation reusable launch vehicle project, which has a total budget of 2.2921 trillion won. According to the recently released request for proposal (RFP) for the commissioned research project, the research will be conducted over approximately 30 months from July 2026 to December 2028. The main objective is preemptively acquiring foundational technologies for repeated operation of the reusable launch vehicle.

The United States SpaceX's reusable launch vehicle 'Falcon 9', carrying our military's first reconnaissance satellite No. 1, launched in December 2023 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The research areas include: ▲ Establishing a Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) system for reusable launch vehicles ▲ Developing a non-contact, laser ultrasonic-based nondestructive inspection ▲ Ensuring post-landing safety using autonomous robots ▲ Developing landing navigation devices and guidance algorithms ▲ Assessing composite structural fatigue life ▲ Developing key technologies for methane propulsion systems, among others. The research funding for each project ranges from 120 million won (for PHM) to 500 million won (for establishing methane engine test facilities). Other key technologies to enable repeated operation, such as autonomous robot-based safety (350 million won), landing navigation (430 million won), and composite structure fatigue life evaluation (420 million won), are also included.

In particular, the nondestructive inspection project explicitly states the requirement to derive "nondestructive inspection criteria based on 10 reuse cycles." Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) is a technology that diagnoses anomalies in the vehicle and engine and determines reusability by analyzing various sensors and operational data on the launch vehicle using AI. Together with nondestructive inspection — which enables internal damage assessment without disassembly — PHM is considered a core technology for repeated launches.

After securing foundational technologies for repeated operations of reusable launch vehicles through this research, Korea Aerospace Research Institute plans to gradually apply these in the actual development project. The next-generation reusable launch vehicle is scheduled for its first flight in 2031. In 2032, a launch vehicle equipped with reusability technology will first be launched in expendable mode to verify the core technology. After a series of landing and recovery tests, the goal is to secure reusability technology by 2035.

Hyun Youngmin, director of the Space Launch Vehicle Research Center at Korea Aerospace Research Institute, told The Asia Business Daily, “Currently, we are developing the technology with a target of ten reuse cycles. Since design, operational standards, and inspection systems vary depending on the number of reuse cycles, we are currently focusing on developing the technology based on a ten-cycle target.”

He further stated, “The core of reusable launch vehicles is not how quickly they can be relaunched, but rather ensuring that they can be reused safely. We set our goal at about ten reuses because we believe this would significantly reduce launch costs. If inspection results indicate good condition, it may be possible to exceed ten cycles in actual operation.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.