[기자24시] The first year of the real universe should be raised in private

“Can this year be the first year of the space age opening in our country?”

It is an expectation that people who are interested in the universe have in common. This is because meaningful space projects such as the next-generation medium-sized satellites (automobile satellites) and Korean launch vehicles will be implemented this year.

First of all, it’s good to start. On the 22nd, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute succeeded in launching the first mid-car satellite at the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan. In October, Hang Woo-yeon plans to launch the first Korean launch vehicle,’Nuri,’ at the Naroju Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do. If this is done successfully, Korea will also step closer to the’space independent nation’ class equipped with both launch vehicles and multi-purpose satellites.

Both Chajung Satellite and Nuriho are outstanding achievements. The mid-vehicle satellite is the first’satellite platform’ developed in Korea, and the Nuri is the first launch vehicle equipped with a domestic engine. However, even if all of these plans are successful, it is unclear whether this year will truly become the first year of the space age in Korea. This is because there are only achievements from the public. The achievements achieved by the private sector are about the’participation awards’ who participated in such a project together.

The U.S. government, represented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is fostering private space companies. This is because the universe is gradually becoming the realm of money. A representative example is SpaceX. SpaceX, which developed a recycling rocket with support from NASA, is now transporting NASA astronauts and other supplies into space.

It’s not just SpaceX. Planet Labs in the U.S. has created a system that can observe the Earth in close real time by placing more than 200 satellites into space. North Korean satellite images taken by Planet Labs are already commonly used in domestic media reports.

In the past, the universe was everyone’s dream. Now it is’reality’. If exploration alone is a meaningful dream, public space development is sufficient. The reality associated with people’s economic activities and jobs is different. Morgan Stanley predicts that the global space industry will reach $1.5 trillion by 2040. If we want to keep up with the’space pioneering era’ that will unfold over this huge market, is it time for Korea to foster private space development?

[벤처과학부 = 이종화 기자 [email protected]]
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