S. Korea’s KASA to invest $562.5 million in R&D projects in 2025
South Korea’s national space agency, the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), announced on Wednesday that it will invest a total of 806.4 billion won ($562.5 million) in research and development (R&D) projects in 2025. This investment is part of the country’s efforts to position itself among the top five global leaders in the aerospace sector.
According to KASA, the agency’s R&D budget for 2025 represents a 43.3 percent increase from last year, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
The funding will be allocated to various projects, including 187.4 billion won for R&D initiatives by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. An additional 147.8 billion won will be directed towards advancing South Korea’s space rocket technologies, while 150.8 billion won will be spent on developing a next-generation space rocket. Another 500 million won will be used for the development of reusable rocket technologies.
KASA aims to create a reusable rocket capable of transporting 1 kilogram of cargo to space for only $1,000 by mid-2030. The agency will also focus on research programs to develop an orbital transfer vehicle, manned spacecraft, and space reentry technology.
In addition to rocket development, the national space agency plans to invest 24.9 billion won in developing a microsatellite swarm and 35 billion won for a geostationary orbit communications satellite. KASA also has plans to develop a next-generation midsized satellite for space science research, along with a multipurpose satellite for monitoring the Korean Peninsula.
Further advancements will be made in satellite technologies, including a low Earth orbit satellite communications system and the Korea Positioning System, a local satellite navigation system.
Additionally, KASA intends to invest 7.3 billion won in a joint project with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to launch a Lunar Space Environment Monitor, and 45 billion won for its independent lunar spacecraft development project.
