Hanwha Group will invest 55 trillion won in the space and aviation and artificial intelligence (AI) industries by 2040. The core is to build an integrated space infrastructure based on proprietary launch vehicle and satellite technology, and to construct a "defense AI data center" that consolidates land, sea, and air power into one. The plan is to form an ecosystem centered on the Yeongnam region, including Changwon, to also contribute to balanced regional development.
Kim Dong-Kwan, Hanwha vice chairman, announced the "AI space power mid- to long-term strategy" containing these details at the Yeongnam region advanced industry development vision national briefing held at the Gyeongsang National University indoor gymnasium in Jinju, South Gyeongsang, on the 3rd.
◇ Hanwha Aerospace and Systems to build integrated space infrastructure… "secure space sovereignty"
Hanwha will first build an integrated space infrastructure based on proprietary launch vehicle and satellite technology. The company aims to create a system in which AI analyzes information collected in space and links it to our military's decision-making and operations.
The integrated space infrastructure envisioned by Hanwha consists of: ▲ a constellation of observation satellites at an altitude of 350 km that collect information on land and at sea ▲ a space AI data center to be established at 400 km altitude ▲ a low-Earth orbit satellite communication network deployed at an altitude of 900 km to transmit various data, including imagery, in real time.
To that end, Hanwha Aerospace will invest about 23 trillion won in space launch vehicles. It will build a stage assembly facility and a launch vehicle development test facility, and later transition to commercial launches to secure independent space transportation capabilities. Hanwha Systems will invest 20 trillion won to acquire ultra-low-orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, a space AI data center, and a satellite communication network.
Hanwha Systems plans to launch and operate 64 SAR satellites by 2031. Information collected by the satellites will be transmitted to the space AI data center and to the ground through a low-Earth orbit communication network, a "Korean version of Starlink." Hanwha Systems will begin communication services with 192 satellites and later launch more than 60 additional satellites to extend satellite lifespans and expand coverage to the Arctic. These satellites will ride to space on launch vehicles manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace.
Kim judged that under a system that relies on overseas satellite manufacturing and launches, securing space sovereignty and achieving independent defense are impossible. "The first step to securing space sovereignty is the development of a proprietary launch vehicle," Kim said, emphasizing, "Through proprietary launch vehicle development, Hanwha will secure the capability for Korea to reach space at any time."
◇ Build a "defense AI data center" in Changwon… develop defense AI models
Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems will invest more than 10 trillion won to build a "defense AI data center" in Changwon, South Gyeongsang. The goal is to establish an integrated system in which satellites collect information, AI analyzes it, and aircraft and unmanned assets use it, consolidating land, sea, and air power into one. "Korea can rise beyond being a country strong only in hardware to one that possesses world-class defense AI," Kim said.
The center will be developed as a closed, high-security data center that can be independently managed without relying on external parties. It will be operated in parallel with the space AI data center so that operations do not stop even if one side is neutralized. It will start this year at a 45 MW scale and expand in phases to 135 MW by 2032, with plans to secure power by linking to Hanwha Energy's power generation assets.
Separately, Hanwha will invest about 2 trillion won by 2040 to develop a defense AI model, "Defense OS." It is an AI that learns and infers from secured battlefield data and provides services tailored to the Korean Peninsula's operational environment. Through this, systems ranging from K9 self-propelled howitzers to unmanned surface vessels and submersibles, autonomous drones, and unmanned aircraft will evolve into intelligent weapon systems that make decisions and respond on their own. When manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) and counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) are added, combat power is expected to multiply.
Hanwha expects that as a space and aviation industry ecosystem takes shape centered on the Yeongnam region, it will also contribute to balanced regional development. "A virtuous cycle in which local talent learns locally, local corporations take on the global market, and the local ecosystem provides the collateral for the Republic of Korea's future is the very completion of the industrial ecosystem as Hanwha envisions it," Kim said.
Hanwha plans to expand industry-academia cooperation by establishing contract departments within local universities and graduate schools with fixed contract enrollment in the future.