The Korea Aerospace Administration stated that it must develop the next-generation launch vehicle using reusable technology.
On the 20th, the Korea Aerospace Administration held a brown bag meeting (a discussion conducted casually over lunch) for reporters at the Seoul Business Center in Yongsan, Seoul, regarding the next-generation launch vehicle project. Park Jae-sung, head of the Space Transportation Division, and Park Soon-young, head of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Program, attended and explained the overseas trends in space transportation and the process of promoting project changes for the next-generation launch vehicle development.
The Korea Aerospace Administration is pushing forward with a project to develop a next-generation launch vehicle to replace the Korean launch vehicle Nuriho, investing 2.132 trillion won of national funding over ten years from 2023 to 2032. Initially, it was planned to develop a disposable two-stage launch vehicle that obtains thrust by oxidizing kerosene with liquid oxygen, but the Korea Aerospace Administration shifted to developing a reusable launch vehicle with its establishment.
As a large national project involving over 2 trillion won of national funding, a separate procedure is necessary to change the project plan. The Korea Aerospace Administration tried to undergo a specific evaluation by the Ministry of Science and ICT that allows for quick plan changes, but it fell through. Currently, it is undergoing a review of project feasibility by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which takes at least six months.
At the brown bag meeting that day, the Korea Aerospace Administration emphasized the importance of securing reusable launch vehicle technology. Amid the Lee Jae-myung government's unclear policies in the aerospace sector, the Korea Aerospace Administration has spoken out that changes to the next-generation launch vehicle development project plan are necessary.
Park Soon-young, head of the program, noted, "The Korea Aerospace Administration aims to create a virtuous cycle of low-cost space transportation technology like that demonstrated by the U.S. SpaceX," adding that, "By the mid-2030s, Korea will also launch over 100 satellites a year, so we need to lower the transport costs further and create a virtuous cycle of conducting more satellite missions with the saved expenses."
On the same day, the Korea Aerospace Administration unveiled its plan for reusability of the next-generation launch vehicle. Plan 1 proposed developing the next-generation launch vehicle as a disposable launch vehicle system, then transitioning to a reusable launch vehicle in the 2030s, completing reusability by the 2040s. Plan 2 suggests initially developing the next-generation launch vehicle as a reusable launch vehicle, with reusability completed by 2035. Among the two plans, the Korea Aerospace Administration is focusing on Plan 2.
The rocket propellant will be changed from the existing kerosene to methane. The Korea Aerospace Administration stated, "Methane propellant has a higher specific impulse (combustion efficiency) than kerosene and has simpler storage and handling ease than hydrogen," also noting advantages such as the nearly non-existent carbon deposits, which reduce maintenance time and expenses.
The Korea Aerospace Administration plans to increase the size of the next-generation launch vehicle to a length of 70.8 meters and a diameter of 4.2 meters, and also plans to change the engine from a kerosene multi-stage combustion cycle engine to a methane gas generator cycle engine. This will allow nine 80-ton engines to be placed in the first stage and one 80-ton engine in the second stage.
Park Jae-sung, the head of the institutional sector, stated, "Except for the United States, most countries have goals to develop reusable launch vehicles by the early 2030s," adding that, "Korea is not significantly behind and can be said to be at an opportune time to ensure competitiveness."