Boryung Secures First Potential Customer for Space Life Sciences Business, Partners with DLR

MOU with DLR on Space Medicine Research Cooperation
Building Space Experiment Infrastructure Tailored to Research Needs
Building a Foundation for Commercialization Beyond Strategic Investment

Boryung has secured the first potential customer for its space life sciences research infrastructure.

Boryung said on Oct. 27 that it recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on research cooperation in space life sciences and the use of research infrastructure. The agreement is significant because cooperation between the two sides, which began in 2023 through Humans in Space (HIS), has developed into their first potential customer relationship involving the use of actual research infrastructure.

At the signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) held at Boryung's headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Boryung CEO Kim Jeonggyun (left) and Director Jordan Jens of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) pose for a commemorative photo after signing. Boryung

Under the MOU, the two sides will discuss ways to conduct experiments and validation using Boryung's space research infrastructure in the future, not only for space life sciences research projects they identify together but also for space medicine research initiated independently by DLR. In particular, Boryung plans to incorporate the experimental environments, equipment and operating conditions required by DLR researchers from the design stage, so that the infrastructure can serve as a testbed tailored to actual research needs. Building on this collaboration, Boryung plans to design and provide infrastructure tailored to the research objectives and requirements of its second and third potential customers, broadening demand.

Boryung has participated in the space industry primarily through strategic investments. After investing in U.S.-based Axiom Space in late 2022, it established the joint venture BRAX Space and secured the rights to conduct domestic business using Axiom Space's space infrastructure. It has also continued efforts to identify startups and research projects in space medicine and expand research demand.

Boryung said, "DLR is a leading institution in space medicine research, alongside organizations such as the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), and is particularly active in life sciences research. As one of the institutions most actively studying space medicine, which examines the effects of the space environment on the human body, we judged that it had the most specific research needs to incorporate into our infrastructure design."

Kim Jungkyun, CEO of Boryung, said, "It is very encouraging that DLR is participating as the first potential customer for Boryung's space research infrastructure. This is a meaningful outcome, connecting actual research needs with the business foundation we have built through investment and partnerships."

He added, "We will broadly gather feedback from our partner institutions to strengthen the competitiveness of our space medicine research infrastructure and continue securing additional customers on that basis. We will also create concrete business opportunities that make use of Boryung's infrastructure by connecting with the research partnerships DLR has built with NASA, ESA and other organizations."

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