The government's cycle for establishing the basic plan for space hazard response will be shortened to five years from the current 10. The move comes as the pace of change in the space environment has quickened due to the rise in low Earth orbit satellites and the expansion of private space activities.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration said a partial amendment to the Space Development Promotion Act containing these details was promulgated and took effect on the 15th.
The existing law required the government to establish a basic plan to prepare for space hazards every 10 years. However, as low Earth orbit satellites have recently increased rapidly, raising the risk of satellite collisions, and as space environment changes due to solar activity have become more frequent, there have been calls to shorten the policy response cycle.
During the settlement of account review by the National Assembly's Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee, there was also an opinion that the appropriateness of the cycle for establishing the basic plan needed to be reexamined.
Under the amendment, the government will henceforth establish the basic plan for space hazard preparedness every five years. The revised cycle applies to plans already established. Accordingly, the new cycle will apply to the second basic plan for space hazard preparedness prepared in 2024, and the third basic plan is scheduled to be established and implemented in 2029.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to supplement space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities and space hazard alert and warning systems, and to streamline cooperation frameworks among related agencies at home and abroad.
Korea AeroSpace Administration Commissioner Oh Tae-seok said, "Space hazards are directly tied to public safety and the protection of national space assets," and added, "With this amendment, we will continue to strengthen the policy foundation so we can respond more swiftly and flexibly to the rapidly changing space environment."