Hanwha Aerospace to Lead South Korea's Next-Gen Space Rocket Project

Hanwha Aerospace, South Korea’s premier aerospace company, announced on Wednesday that it has secured the role of leading the nation’s upcoming space rocket endeavor.

The selection came following a bidding process initiated by the Public Procurement Service, which commenced in December of the previous year. Hanwha Aerospace emerged victorious after competing against Korea Aerospace Industries.

Under the government-sponsored initiative titled “Total Manufacturing of the Next-Generation Launch Vehicle Development,” Hanwha Aerospace will collaborate closely with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to develop the KSLV-III, the next-generation launch vehicle succeeding the KSLV-II Nuri rocket.

Following an assessment of its technical prowess and the sustainability of its project proposal, Hanwha was formally chosen as the preferred bidder on March 12. In the forthcoming days, Hanwha will finalize the contract details after engaging in negotiations with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the government-operated space agency overseeing the project.

This initiative aims to develop an advanced launch vehicle capable of transporting payloads, including lunar landers, into space. With the collaboration, the duo aims for an active involvement of a private enterprise in all stages of the project, encompassing design, launch, and operation, in close partnership with KARI.

The next-generation launch vehicle is anticipated to enhance performance capabilities compared to its predecessor, the Nuri rocket, enabling it to launch large satellites and support space exploration endeavors efficiently.

The newly inaugurated space endeavor, formally titled the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-III, is geared towards developing an advanced launch platform capable of transporting a lunar lander to the moon by 2032.

Anticipated to possess a mission capacity approximately three times more potent than the domestically produced Nuri rocket, demonstrating South Korea’s satellite deployment capabilities with successful launches in 2022 and 2023.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-III project aims to expand South Korea’s presence and capabilities in space exploration through a series of three launches culminating in the deployment of a lunar lander within the next decade.

By integrating private enterprises into all facets of space exploration, South Korea is striving toward a truly private-driven space economy. With Hanwha Aerospace at the forefront, leveraging its expertise over 26 years since the inception of the Korean Sounding Rocket-III in 1999, the nation plans to elevate its technological capabilities in developing advanced launch vehicles and propulsion systems.

Hanwha aims to capitalize on the technology and expertise amassed through this project to lay the groundwork for a solid private-led space industry ecosystem and expand its footprint in the global launch service market.

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