[Initial Perspective] Yoon Seok-yeol Government Must Make a Decision on Apophis Exploration

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] In 46 BC, Roman general Caesar faced a dilemma standing before the Rubicon River. The Roman Senate, siding with his rival Pompey, ordered him to disband his army and return to Rome alone. Complying meant certain death, but defying the order would brand him a ‘traitor’ to beloved Rome. Ultimately, Caesar made a decisive choice. He led his army across the Rubicon River and entered Rome. It was the moment a new master of Rome was born. This is a famous historical anecdote emphasizing the importance of ‘decisiveness.’

Whether for a nation or an individual, there are times when one must carefully weigh the past, present, and future to make a critical decision. That time is now for South Korea’s space development sector. The question of whether to proceed with the planned 2027 asteroid Apophis exploration is precisely such a ‘decision.’ South Korea began its space development history in the 1990s with the experimental microsatellite ‘UriByul 1,’ and over the past 30 years, culminating in last year’s first Nuri rocket launch, it has made remarkable progress. The problem is that South Korea’s current space development and exploration technology level, including the Nuri rocket, is ambiguous in terms of competitiveness. It lags far behind major powers and private companies like SpaceX. For example, the Nuri rocket can barely place a small 1.5-ton satellite into low Earth orbit at 600?700 km, rendering its commercial competitiveness in the international space launch market effectively zero. Aside from satellite manufacturing, launch vehicles are still in the early stages, and other areas such as planetary landing, exploration, and return remain completely undeveloped.

This explains the arguments against South Korea’s space development. Some question the need to enter a field where it is far behind and the chances of success are slim. Others argue that practical satellite launches can be outsourced, and with pressing issues like climate change, income polarization, and population aging, why spend money on space development? Considering only South Korea’s past and present space development, these views seem reasonable at first glance. But look to the future. We are in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, where new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving and flying, and the metaverse (extended virtual world) are becoming reality. The future cannot be discussed without space. For example, building a 6G ultra-high-speed communication network, fundamental to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is impossible without satellite communication networks. The Korean Positioning System (KPS) is similarly essential. Real-time positioning accurate to the centimeter is a must-have for autonomous vehicles, drone delivery, and urban air mobility (UAM). Resource development on the Moon and asteroids, and space solar power generation are emerging as new alternatives for resource acquisition and energy supply. As seen in the Ukraine-Russia war, space technology, including satellite utilization, is also indispensable for national security.

The decision rests with the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. In April, the Ministry of Science and ICT excluded the Apophis exploration plan from the preliminary feasibility study. The importance of the Apophis exploration lies in its potential to develop, test, and commercialize all space development technologies from A to Z. It would enable independent upgrades and competitiveness of launch vehicles, planetary exploration, and return technologies. Success would elevate South Korea from a nominal ‘top 7 space power’ to a genuine space power. Since the country has already decided to engage in space development, the Apophis exploration is necessary. Once the decision is made, like Caesar, do not look back?cross the river.