Korea Aerospace Administration to Expand Private Sector Participation in Rover Development for Lunar and Martian Exploration

First Steps Toward a Lunar Economic Base and Mars Lander
Kickstarting the Space Mobility Industry Ecosystem

The Korea Aerospace Administration has joined forces with domestic companies to strengthen the competitiveness of the mobility industry in preparation for the era of lunar and Martian exploration.

On November 11, the Korea Aerospace Administration announced that it held the "Space Exploration Mobility Industry Meeting" at the Ramada Hotel in Daejeon, where it shared policies to expand participation in lunar and Martian exploration and gathered feedback from the industry.

The lunar exploration rover being developed through collaboration between the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and the Unmanned Exploration Laboratory (UEL). The Asia Business Daily DB

The meeting was attended by major companies interested in developing space mobility technologies such as rovers and robotics. Participants discussed strategies for the industrialization and development of space exploration technologies. The Korea Aerospace Administration introduced current policies related to lunar and Martian exploration and shared the status of technologies held by companies, as well as their future plans.

The Korea Aerospace Administration is pursuing a mid- to long-term exploration roadmap, including the launch of a lunar lander in 2032, the establishment of a lunar economic base in the 2040s, and the launch of a Mars lander in 2045. To this end, it plans to participate not only in domestic lander projects but also in international cooperation projects, thereby expanding opportunities to validate and demonstrate domestically developed mobility technologies.

Kang Kyungin, Head of the Space Science Exploration Division, stated, "We will actively incorporate the opinions collected from companies during this meeting into our policies to strengthen our independent mobility capabilities for lunar and Martian exploration. We aim to build a private sector-led space exploration industry ecosystem and enhance global competitiveness in the space economy."