Lee Sang-cheol, the head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), stated that he will continue to develop technology for the transition of next-generation launch vehicles to be reusable. Recently, the plan for the transition to reusability was not included in the 'specific evaluation' criteria of the national research and development project evaluation, making project delays unavoidable. However, this means that necessary technology development will continue regardless of that. Originally, if the plan is modified upon receiving research funds, it must go through a re-evaluation.
On the 29th, the head noted during a 100-day briefing in Jung-gu, Seoul, that "the transition to reusable next-generation launch vehicles will be complemented by a follow-up business application to be submitted to the Korea Aerospace Agency," adding that "KARI will support the technical aspects."
In February, the Korea Aerospace Agency decided to convert the next-generation launch vehicle into a reusable launch vehicle and announced plans to follow the specific evaluation process of the Ministry of Science and ICT. The next-generation launch vehicle development project underwent a preliminary feasibility study, and to change its business plan, it must receive a specific evaluation from the Ministry of Science and ICT or a suitability review from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Among these, the specific evaluation from the Ministry of Science and ICT can be conducted more quickly, which is why the Korea Aerospace Agency sought that.
However, the National Research and Development Project Evaluation General Committee determined that the submitted project modification did not meet the criteria for specific evaluation. This means that the possibility of delays in the next-generation launch vehicle development project has increased.
Han Young-min, director of the KARI Space Launch Vehicle Research Institute, stated, "We plan to discuss details with the Korea Aerospace Agency, and while there are limits since the propellant has not yet been decided, we are making every effort," adding that "regardless of whether there will be changes to the propellant, we are consistently researching technologies that can be commonly utilized, such as guidance control and launch vehicle manufacturing facilities." He further noted that "the next-generation launch vehicle will have a larger diameter than the Nuri rocket, making the establishment of new manufacturing facilities and high-performance materials essential."
The dispute over intellectual property rights (IP) between KARI and Hanwha Aerospace regarding the Nuri rocket is in its final stages. The head said, "As discussions on technology transfer with Hanwha Aerospace have continued, there is now a consensus that we cannot delay any further ahead of the Nuri rocket's fourth launch scheduled for November," adding that "we will establish a close joint development system for the next-generation launch vehicle development."
Director Han Young-min also mentioned, "Although joint ownership of intellectual property rights is difficult under the current legal framework, we are preparing a plan to flexibly handle technology transfer and use for the development of the industrial ecosystem," saying that "we can make an official announcement soon." KARI plans to move internal personnel to research projects for the next-generation launch vehicle, lunar landing module, and interplanetary spacecraft development if it successfully transfers Nuri rocket technology to Hanwha Aerospace.
The head expressed a strong commitment to the development of the Korean positioning system (KPS). The KPS project is worth 3.7 trillion won and involves launching eight satellites in succession to establish an independent positioning system.
The head stated, "KPS is an essential project to secure an independent positioning system for national security, beyond just a simple autonomous driving infrastructure." He remarked, "There are global positioning systems like the U.S. GPS, former Soviet GLONASS, European Galileo, and China's BeiDou, and Japan and India are also building systems for their use, so Korea must have this as well."
The head explained, "It is true that delays have occurred due to issues such as a lack of specialized personnel," stating that "to operate the research team efficiently, we are discussing the formation of an independent project team directly under the KARI head, and a related committee will be held in May."
Meanwhile, regarding the recent issue of technology leakage, he explained that "the problem lies in violating internal regulations of the organization, such as security inspections or approvals, regardless of confidentiality," mentioning that "a police investigation is currently underway and results will be available in June." The head added, "Internally, we are also sending out emails regarding technology leakage and have increased our educational sessions from once a year to twice a year as a preventive measure."