The Korea AeroSpace Administration said it held a certificate award ceremony for the "second new space technologies" at 2 p.m. on the 17th at the Korea AeroSpace Administration in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang, and designated eight technologies in the satellite and launch vehicle sectors as new space technologies.
The new space technology designation system is a program in which the government designates technologies in the space sector that were developed for the first time in Korea or that improve overseas technologies and are highly novel and applicable. It was first implemented last year, and in the first designation, 5 out of 52 cases were selected.
A total of 30 entries were received for this call. There were 19 in the satellite sector, 5 in the launch vehicle sector, and 6 in the space observation and exploration and other sectors. The Korea AeroSpace Administration finalized the technologies through a three-stage review of document screening, on-site due diligence, and comprehensive evaluation.
The selected technologies are four in the satellite sector and four in the launch vehicle sector. It is meaningful in that most of them localize core components or manufacturing processes that had long relied heavily on imports.
In the satellite sector, FIBERPRO's "fiber-optic gyro for low Earth orbit satellites," Dousitek's "global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver for geostationary satellites," CosmoV's "10 mN (millinewton)-class Hall thruster and hollow cathode for low Earth orbit small satellites," and MID's "space-grade high-reliability memory (SRAM)" were selected.
A fiber-optic gyro senses the direction a satellite is moving and helps control its attitude. A GNSS receiver is a technology that helps a satellite calculate its own position and time. A Hall thruster is a propulsion device that uses electricity to adjust a satellite's orbit, and space-grade memory is a semiconductor that reliably stores data even in the space environment, where radiation and temperature fluctuations are severe.
In the launch vehicle sector, Vitzro Nextech's "anti-ignition, oxidation-resistant coating technology for liquid rocket engine metal parts," Hanyang ENG's "high-pressure and cryogenic single-line umbilical technology for space launch vehicles," Perigee Aerospace's "electroforming process technology for manufacturing regeneratively cooled liquid rocket engine combustors," and INNOSPACE's "bipropellant regeneratively cooled methane engine combustor" made the list.
These technologies are used to protect internal rocket engine components, safely supply cryogenic propellants, and cool engines efficiently. Some focus on reducing engine weight and improving performance by using manufacturing processes such as three-dimensional (3D) printing or electroforming.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to support performance testing and evaluation so the designated technologies can lead to real products and services. It also said it would help initial market entry through measures such as designating government-innovative products and linking them to public procurement.
O Tae-seok, head of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, said, "These new technologies are meaningful in that the private sector led the way in securing core technologies for the space industry," and added, "We will support them through to commercialization and mass production."