Jinju City Passes Feasibility Review for Space Environment Test Facility Construction Project

Total Project Cost of 155.4 Billion KRW Invested

National Satellite Development Demand Response Facility to Be Established

Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 25th that the "Space Environment Test Facility Construction Project" at Gasan, Korea Aviation Bureau, Jeongchon-myeon, has been finally confirmed for implementation after passing the feasibility review by the National Research and Development Project Evaluation Committee.

The Space Environment Test Facility is a core infrastructure for the space sector, established as Gyeongnam Province, including Jinju City, was designated as a Satellite Specialized Zone within the National Space Industry Cluster by the National Space Committee in December 2022. The facility will expand the existing infrastructure of the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) Space Component Test Center, currently located in Sangdae-dong, Jinju, and relocate it to Gasan, Korea Aviation Bureau, Jeongchon-myeon. Nine new pieces of equipment, including orbital and launch environment test equipment and ground test equipment, will be installed. Following the exemption from the preliminary feasibility study in August last year, the project has now been finalized through this feasibility review.

Aerial view of Jinju City Space Environment Test Facility.

The project period is from this year until 2028, with a total project budget of 155.4 billion KRW. Once the Space Environment Test Facility is completed, it is expected to become an internationally recognized testing facility capable of meeting nationwide satellite development demands for over the next decade.

Meanwhile, Jinju City began its efforts in August 2022 when Mayor Cho Kyu-il of Jinju met directly with Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT to explain the rationale for attracting the Space Environment Test Facility to Jinju. The city also participated in various events such as aerospace workshops and forums, where they promoted Jinju’s outstanding aerospace infrastructure to officials from relevant organizations and requested cooperation to have Jinju designated as a Satellite Specialized Zone. As a result of these efforts, in December 2022, the National Space Committee designated Gyeongnam Province, including Jinju City, as a Satellite Specialized Zone within the National Space Industry Cluster.

The city secured the construction site for the Space Environment Test Facility in advance and established a close cooperation system with related organizations such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea Aerospace Administration, Gyeongnam Province, and the KTL Space Component Test Center to ensure smooth project progress. As a result, in January 2023, the Space Environment Test Facility Construction Project was selected for a preliminary feasibility study, and in August, the study was exempted, leading to an 11-month feasibility review.

A city official stated, "With the approval of the feasibility review for the Space Environment Test Facility, we expect the establishment of a triangular system for the space industry cluster to be in full swing," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that the Space Environment Test Facility becomes a hub for a private-led space industry ecosystem and contributes to the development of the regional space industry."