Electric and electronic devices and parts from major domestic corporations and institutions, including SK hynix and LG Electronics, will ride the Nuri rocket into space for performance verification.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) on the 9th announced the results of the payload selection for Space Verification Satellite No. 3 under the "Domestic devices and parts space verification support project." Twenty-four institutions participated in the call, and nine were finally selected. Fifteen types of devices and parts from the selected institutions will undergo verification procedures in space orbit.
This project will invest a total of 12 billion won over four years starting in 2024 to support space verification of domestically made electric and electronic device-level parts and semiconductors. The focus is to confirm whether the parts operate normally in the space environment and whether they maintain durability and stability even when exposed to various types of radiation.
A platform based on a CubeSat-sized 12U (unit) will be used for verification. One U measures 10 cm on each side, and the platform can carry domestically developed parts by corporations up to 8U for in-space demonstration.
The selected payloads include a broad range of technologies from major corporations and research institutes. SK hynix will carry a radiation-tolerant storage device, and LG Electronics will load materials and parts for low Earth orbit satellites. In addition, CosmoBee's artificial intelligence (AI) miniature Hall thruster module, Daelim's domestically produced polyimide parts for mounting satellite multilayer insulation, Asia Pacific Satellite's test equipment for an intelligent processor module for a small rover for space exploration, and Ilchem's non-igniting special electrolyte battery have also secured in-space demonstration opportunities.
Technologies developed by research institutes and academia will also head to space. Seven domestically produced semiconductors from the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), developed through the Global Top Space Aerospace Semiconductor Strategy Research Group, along with devices from Hanbat National University and Korea University, were also included in this round of verification.
Space Verification Satellite No. 3 is scheduled to reach space via the sixth Nuri launch planned for next year. Previously, Space Verification Satellite No. 1, for which payloads were selected last year, will begin orbital testing aboard the fourth Nuri, slated for launch at the end of this year, and No. 2 will be loaded onto the fifth Nuri launch planned for this year.
Noh Kyung-won, Vice Administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, said, "Securing a record of space use for domestic space devices and parts is a cornerstone for entering the global market," adding, "We will continue to expand related support to foster the aerospace industry."