Seoul

South Korea’s new national space agency on Thursday said it will work to develop small reusable space rockets in collaboration with the private sector and explore one of the stable Lagrange points in a bid to become a top-five global space power.

In a press briefing, Rho Kyung-won, deputy chief of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), said KASA plans to assign the reusable rocket development project to the private sector, source reported. These reusable rockets will be capable of launching a 500 kg payload into an orbit with an altitude of 500 kilometres, aligning with the latest space trend.

Until now, the South Korean government has led all space projects, focusing on developing single-use space rockets, including the 200-ton rocket Nuri and the next-generation rocket, named KSLV-III. This new plan reflects KASA’s commitment to transforming the country’s space sector from a government-led industry to a private-led one.

KASA also intends to create a launch complex for private space vehicles within the Naro Space Center in the southern coastal village of Goheung, as well as establish a separate space centre at a yet-to-be-determined location.

In addition, KASA plans to unveil a road map to explore deep space beyond the moon and Mars through international cooperation in a bid to expand South Korea’s space economy territory. Two years ago, the country announced its plan to land a homegrown spacecraft on the moon in 2032 and Mars in 2045.