Korea AeroSpace Administration said on the 20th that it selected five innovative technologies with technological competitiveness and marketability in satellites, launch vehicles, and space observation and exploration as the first new space technologies.
The "new space technology designation system" is a government program that designates technologies that were developed for the first time in Korea or improved by adopting foreign technologies, have outstanding novelty and advancement, and can create added value. New space technology designations will be conducted periodically every year starting this year.
The five new space technologies selected this time are in the fields of satellite and launch vehicle manufacturing and space observation and exploration. SensoHub Co., Ltd.'s complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and charge-coupled device (CCD) fusion multiband TDI (time delayed integration) imaging sensor implements both high definition and low power, making it optimized for high-speed Earth observation, and i3system Co., Ltd.'s two-dimensional multichannel mid-infrared detector is expected to contribute to providing precision satellite imaging services that detect minute temperature differences.
NDT Engineering Co., Ltd.'s friction stir welding technology is a manufacturing process that ensures both weight reduction and structural reliability of launch vehicle propellant tanks and is expected to boost the competitiveness of launch vehicles, and Intellian Technologies Co., Ltd.'s gateway antenna for medium- and low-Earth-orbit satellite communications and planar array antenna technology for low-Earth-orbit satellite communications enable real-time satellite tracking and uninterrupted communications, and are evaluated as core foundational technologies that will lead the next-generation Space Internet era.
Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) is pursuing various support measures so that the new space technologies can successfully gain a foothold in the market. It is seeking ways to support the testing and evaluation processes needed during the productization of the designated new technologies. It also plans to ensure that products incorporating the new space technologies can be designated as government innovation products, enabling them to receive various benefits in public procurement, such as support for pilot purchases by public institutions and allowing private contracts.
In addition, Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) plans two additional new space technology designations this year (expected in Apr. and Oct.), and will work to discover more outstanding space technologies through active promotional activities and consulting for domestic corporations, universities, and research institutes.
Lee Hyo-hee, acting director of the Space and Aerospace Industry Bureau at Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), said, "The new space technologies designated this time are innovative technologies that will accelerate the localization of core parts and equipment and secure competitiveness in the global market," adding, "Through the designation of new space technologies, we will further solidify a space industry ecosystem led by the private sector."