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South Korea
Space industry, companies, and programs in South Korea
Region
Asia
Space Agency
KASA
Korea AeroSpace Administration
Space Budget
~$700M
Companies
0
0 public + 0 private
About South Korea's Space Industry
South Korea entered the orbital launch club in 2022 with the KSLV-II Nuri rocket and established KASA as a dedicated space agency in 2024. Korea Aerospace Industries leads the country's space manufacturing sector, and ambitious plans include a lunar orbiter, independent GPS constellation, and 100+ satellite mega-constellation for 6G communications by the 2030s.
Space Programs
Government and agency programs associated with South Korea
Korea Space Program (KSLV / Danuri)
activeKARI / KASA • 2022–2032
South Korea established KASA (Korea AeroSpace Administration) in May 2024 as a dedicated space agency. The Nuri rocket (KSLV-II) achieved operational success in May 2023. Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO/Danuri) has been orbiting the Moon since Dec 2022, mapping the surface with NASA's ShadowCam. Next-generation rocket (KSLV-III) in development.
₩1.5T (~$1.1B) space budget (2024)
Nuri (KSLV-II) & Korean Lunar Lander
activeKARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) • 2022–2032
South Korea's indigenous launch vehicle program and lunar exploration plan. Nuri achieved 4 successful orbital launches (2022-2024), establishing sovereign launch capability. Korea plans an uncrewed lunar landing mission by 2032, following the successful Danuri lunar orbiter (2022) which carries NASA's ShadowCam for mapping shadowed craters.
~$2B (Nuri development) + $600M (lunar program)
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