80-Meter Abandoned Mine Shaft to Become a "Three-Second Space Laboratory" (Updated)

Microgravity Research Facility to Be Built at Jeongseon’s Samtan No. 2 Shaft... Operations Targeted for April 2027
New Research Hub to Meet Growing Demand at Existing Facility... Will Also Simulate Lunar and Martian Gravity

A disused mine shaft in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, once used to bring coal to the surface, is set to become a "three-second space laboratory." A research facility will use the shaft, which extends 80 meters underground, to create a microgravity environment similar to that of space for about three seconds and simulate gravity on the Moon and Mars. The project is part of an effort to establish a new research hub as demand for experiments at existing facilities grows.

Space LiinTech, a company specializing in space medicine, is building a microgravity research facility called the Drop Tower at Samtan No. 2 Shaft in Samtan Art Valley, Gohan-eup, Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Nov. 11, and the facility is targeted to begin operations in April 2027. Samtan No. 2 Shaft is a major facility of the Jeongam Mine, operated by the Samcheok Coalfield for 38 years from 1964.

Space LiinTech, a company specializing in space pharmaceuticals, is building a microgravity experimental facility called the "Drop Tower" in the Samtan No. 2 shaft at Samtan Art Valley in Gohan-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do. At 80 meters, it is roughly the height of a 20-story building. A vertical shaft extends beneath the visible tower. Courtesy of Space LiinTech.

In a phone interview with The Asia Business Daily, Space LiinTech CEO Yoon Haksun said, "The existing drop tower uses an operating mine, so experiments could mainly be conducted on days when the facility was not in use, such as Sundays. Demand for experiments is steadily growing, and it has become difficult to meet it with the existing facility alone."

Space LiinTech has conducted microgravity experiments using a 600-meter vertical shaft in Jeongseon. The company is also pursuing a facility that would use a 900-meter vertical shaft in Taebaek, but procedures necessary to move the project forward are still pending. In consultation with Jeongseon County, it therefore decided to first build an 80-meter facility that could be completed relatively quickly.

Three Seconds of Microgravity... Simulating Lunar and Martian Gravity

A drop tower creates a microgravity environment for a short time by allowing a test object to fall freely in a vertical direction. The principle is that the relative force caused by gravity almost disappears as the test object and the equipment inside it fall together. By adjusting the acceleration of the fall, the facility can also simulate the gravity of the Moon, about 16% of Earth's, and Mars, about 38% of Earth's.

"A microgravity experiment lasts about three seconds," CEO Yoon said. "The distance is too short to maintain one gravity environment for a long time, but the facility can be used to observe physical phenomena that occur over a short period and reactions to changes in gravity."

How a drop tower using an abandoned mine shaft works. The falling object's speed (maximum speed) is an estimate, not an actual measurement. Source: Space LiinTech (AI-generated image)

In repeated experiments using an existing 4-meter-high drop device, Space LiinTech observed how cells responded to changes in gravity. The company plans to examine these phenomena more precisely at the new facility. It will also pursue experiments related to semiconductor and quantum technologies, in addition to space medicine research.

Space LiinTech has previously conducted protein crystallization experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). A drop tower can be used to verify in advance experiments intended for space or to repeat experiments that take only a short time to complete.

"Microgravity can be maintained continuously in space, but a drop tower is limited by the short duration of its experiments," CEO Yoon said. "Still, experiments that take only a few seconds, or phenomena caused by changes in gravity, can be repeatedly examined on the ground without launching a rocket." Using an abandoned mine can also reduce construction costs, since a drop device can be installed in an existing vertical shaft without building a separate high-rise structure.

"At 80 meters, the tower is roughly the height of a 20-story building," CEO Yoon said. "Using an existing vertical shaft can significantly reduce construction costs."

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