South Korea’s space agency seeks to develop reusable launch vehicle by 2035
South Korea's space agency said Friday it plans to develop a reusable space launch vehicle by 2035 in a bid to keep pace with the rapidly shifting landscape of the global space industry, Yonhap reports.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) has been working to modify its 2.1 trillion-won (US$1.53 billion) project for a next-generation rocket, originally designed as a single-use launch vehicle, into a reusable system, with the goal of acquiring the necessary technology within the next decade.
The agency stressed that early development of reusable launch vehicles is crucial amid rapid changes in the global space transportation market, driven by the success of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Starship.
"All countries are developing reusable launch vehicles by around 2030. If we develop ours by 2035, we can still compete," Park Jae-sung, a director general at KASA, told reporters. "If we miss the timing, the entry barrier will be too high, and we will be out of the game."
He explained that KASA's growing focus on reusable systems and its ongoing review of the next-generation launch vehicle project are part of this strategic shift.
KASA said that if the project proceeds as planned, the new vehicle could begin meeting domestic demand for space transportation from 2034.
Earlier, it was reported that SpaceX has launched 26 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.