South Korea wants 2000 LEO satellites
April 1, 2021
By Chris Forrester
South Korea, home of electronics giants Samsung and LG, also wants to join the low Earth orbiting satellite club.
Hanwha Systems, part of the Hanwha conglomerate (and originally founded as Korea Explosives Co) but now better known as a financial services-to-retail business and very much with Aerospace in its sights, says it wants to develop a 2000 satellite mega-constellation.
Hanwha bought Samsung Aerospace and has since developed interests in satellite antennas (it made a $30 million investment in Kymeta recently), for example. It says it wants its constellation to be completed by 2030. The company’s defence and information division is investing about $440 million into the project.
Senior exec Choi Jae-woo, in a presentation on March 29th, said trial services would begin in 2023, and targeting regular services from 2025.
Hanwha would use foreign rockets to launch its fleet, and discussions are taking place with other potential partners and suppliers.