On the 6th, the Japanese corporation ispace attempted a second landing on the moon but ended in failure. The unmanned lunar lander Resilience appears to have collided with the moon’s surface after failing to slow down just before landing. Following a failed first attempt on April 2023, ispace stated it would make another attempt in the first and fourth quarters of 2027.
Japan succeeded partially in landing its government-led unmanned lunar lander SLIM in January last year, and now it is challenging under private leadership. In contrast, Korea has not even attempted a government-led lunar landing, let alone a private one. The government schedule is set for 2032. Why is there such a gap?
At the ‘International Space Summit 2025 (ISS 2025)’ held at the Daejeon Convention Center on the 4th, Kim Kang-san, Director of International Cooperation at ispace, noted, “The gap between Korea and Japan in new space, which is led by private sector space development, is influenced by internationalization and strategic government support.”
ispace is a Japanese corporation, but 67% of its total employees are foreigners. The nationalities are diverse. Among the 182 people working at the Tokyo headquarters, 41% are foreigners, representing 24 different countries. In the Denver office in the U.S., 100 employees come from three countries, and in the Luxembourg office in Europe, 44 employees work, hailing from 24 countries.
Director Kim is also a figure representing ispace’s internationalization. He is from Korea and joined ispace after working for the U.S. satellite service company Planet Labs. Director Kim said, “For space corporations to grow, it’s difficult with just a narrow domestic market,” and added, “They need to aggressively pursue overseas projects and exports, which requires foreign talent.”
Korea and Japan are evaluated to have similar competitiveness in the overall advanced technology sector. In the recent rankings of ‘Key Emerging Technologies’ published by the Belfer Center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Japan ranked 4th and Korea 5th. The score difference was not significant. The gap in space development can be attributed to a workforce structure focused on the domestic market.
Director Kim advised that Japanese space corporations like ispace are making significant efforts to recruit talent from overseas. He urged that Korean space corporations should not only focus on the projects of the Ministry of Science and ICT or the Korea Aerospace Administration but should actively target overseas projects. If the domestic market is not prepared, they should aim for the international market from the start.
The Japanese government’s strategic support is also considered to play a significant role in the growth of space corporations. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has set up a space industry activation fund of 10 billion yen (approximately 944 million won) to assist research and development (R&D) efforts by corporations and universities. While there is a new space fund for the private sector in Korea, its scale is limited to about 10 billion won annually.
Director Kim pointed out that it is not simply a matter of scale. He said, “In Japan, when the government supports corporations, it does so for short periods, usually 5 to 10 years, not just for short-term projects,” explaining that renowned Japanese space corporations like ispace and Axelspace have both grown under long-term strategies and support.
In Korea, the Korea Aerospace Administration, the dedicated agency for space development, has been launched, but most government projects are still short-term tasks lasting 1 to 2 years. This situation has led to criticism that if the government primarily supports short-term projects, it increases uncertainty for private corporations, making it difficult for them to invest effectively.
Additionally, the Japanese government encourages collaboration between corporations and universities to engage in R&D. Director Kim stated, “When corporations and universities collaborate on foundational research, it becomes easier to receive government support,” explaining that this structure facilitates the rapid transfer of technologies developed in universities to startups and corporations, with personnel naturally flowing as well.
Director Kim proposed that the government should find ways for corporations to participate while promoting international cooperation with foreign countries. He said, “For Korea to grow its space industry, internationalization is more important than anything else,” adding that Korea should not try to do everything on its own but should seek ways to collaborate with countries like the U.S., Japan, India, and Southeast Asian nations.