[Second Half Work Report] Full-Scale Push for Reusable Launch Vehicles... Ushering in an Era of One-Tenth Launch Costs

15 Satellites to Be Loaded on Fifth Nuri Launch
Full-Scale Push for Private Lunar Landing by 2030

The government is set to accelerate the development of a Korean reusable launch vehicle. The plan is to establish a next-generation space transportation system capable of over 10 launches annually, reduce launch costs to just one-tenth of the current Nuri rocket, and speed up the creation of a private sector-led space industry ecosystem.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) reported these details in the "2026 Second Half Business Plan" to the President during a briefing at the Youngbin Hall of the Blue House on July 16.

Nuri rocket heading to space during the third launch in May 2023. Provided by Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

Gu Hyeok-chae, First Vice Minister of Science and ICT, stated in a preliminary briefing at the Seoul Government Complex the previous day, "We will prepare thoroughly for the fifth launch of the Nuri rocket and continue to establish a stable repeated launch system afterwards to foster a space industry ecosystem led by the private sector."

Starting with the fifth launch of the Nuri rocket in the second half of this year, the government plans to speed up the development of next-generation reusable launch vehicles and foster a private-led space industry.

For the fifth launch of the Nuri rocket, a total of 15 satellites will be loaded, including mass-produced ultra-small cluster satellites. The final launch timing will be determined through the Launch Management Committee meeting scheduled for August. The government also plans to increase the utilization of the Nuri rocket by linking the launch needs of government satellites and the industrial sector.

From 2027 to 2032, the government will carry out a "Nuri Follow-up Launch Support Project" with a scale of KRW 22.8 billion. Through repeated launches, the goal is to strengthen private sector launch service capabilities and expand the foundation of the domestic launch market.

Full-scale Development of Reusable Launch Vehicles and the Second Space Center

KASA will also push forward full-scale development of next-generation reusable launch vehicles to secure global competitiveness in the 2030s.

The agency will proceed with detailed launch vehicle system design, build methane engine test facilities, and establish a dedicated launch pad, aiming for a performance verification launch in 2031, a lunar lander launch in 2032, and demonstration of first-stage reusability core technology by 2035.

The next-generation launcher targets reducing launch costs to one-tenth of the current Nuri level through repeated launches—over 10 per year.

KASA will also proceed with establishing a second space center to serve as the operational base for reusable launch vehicles. Alongside upgrading the Naro Space Center, the agency will construct a second space center of approximately 1.7 million pyeong for reuse launch vehicle launches, landings, and maintenance. The site for this center will be selected in the second half of this year, with construction scheduled to start in 2028.

Step-by-step technology verification and demonstration launch support projects for private small and medium-sized launcher companies will also be newly implemented to help domestic companies accumulate flight records and achieve commercialization.

Accelerating Lunar Economy Entry and Low Earth Orbit Satellite Network Development

KASA, together with the private sector, is also ramping up efforts to enter the lunar economy. It aims to launch an industry-led lunar orbit communications satellite in 2029 and, in 2030, send the nation’s first small lunar lander developed in public-private cooperation to the Moon. In the second half of 2026, KASA will launch the Lunar Space Environment Monitor (LUSEM) to acquire core technologies for lunar exploration.

The Korean launch vehicle Nuriho (KSLV-II) is standing at the launch site of Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeonnam. The Asia Business Daily database

By 2035, South Korea also aims to establish a Korean low Earth orbit satellite communications network. Vice Minister Gu explained during the briefing that "the purpose of Korea’s low Earth orbit satellite communications network is not to compete with global commercial networks, but to build a national backbone network for national security and communications sovereignty."

In line with the space and aviation industry development strategy confirmed by the National Space Committee on July 3, the number of space and aviation companies will be increased from the current 800 to 1,200 by 2035, and the global market share will be expanded from 0.7% to 3.0%.

In the aviation sector, a "Team Korea" involving related ministries and the industry will be launched in August to participate from the design stage in the international joint development of a next-generation civil aircraft. The goal is also to localize advanced aviation engines of 16,000-pound class, applicable to 200-seat civil aircraft and fighter jets.

Tae seog Oh, Administrator of the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), stated, "We aim to steadily push forward the development of reusable launch vehicles and the creation of a space and aviation industrial ecosystem, establishing the foundation for Korea to become one of the world’s top five space and aerospace powers."

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