Korea Aerospace Administration Discusses Usage Procedures and Fee Standards
Private Sector Utilization Accelerates Following Nuriho Success
Following the successful launch of Nuriho, the government is accelerating the opening of national launch infrastructure to the private sector. The government has specified the procedures and fee calculation standards for using the Naro Space Center, laying the groundwork for practical utilization by private launch vehicle companies.
On December 19, the Korea Aerospace Administration announced that it had held a roundtable at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute to expand the use of Naro Space Center by private companies, collecting opinions on improvements to usage procedures and methods for calculating fees. This roundtable was organized to supplement and further specify the "Guide to Procedures for Private Companies Using Naro Space Center," which was released in October.
Nuriho 4th launch vehicle waiting for the 4th launch at Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do. Provided by Korea Aerospace Research Institute
The roundtable was attended by eight private companies involved in launch vehicles and space transportation, including Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Hanwha Aerospace, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Hyundai Rotem, Innospace, and Perigee Aerospace. The participating companies presented their views on ways to streamline procedures required for actual launch preparations and operations, as well as the clarity of the fee calculation criteria.
On this day, the Korea Aerospace Administration unveiled a five-year roadmap for private sector utilization of key infrastructure at Naro Space Center, including launch sites, assembly facilities, tracking equipment, and meteorological services. In addition, the administration compared and analyzed the principles for calculating usage fees at domestic and overseas launch sites and national research and development facilities, proposing a reasonable fee calculation method that can be applied to the use of Naro Space Center's launch infrastructure.
As a result, it is expected that private companies will be able to use idle land within Naro Space Center as launch sites, and gradually expand their scope of use to include the private launch site and assembly facilities scheduled to be built by 2027. The Korea Aerospace Administration plans to incorporate the opinions raised at the roundtable into a revised guide, and officially announce the "Guidelines for Private Companies' Use of Naro Space Center" in 2026.
Park Jaeseong, Director of Space Transportation at the Korea Aerospace Administration, stated, "We will continue to improve the procedures and fee calculation system for using Naro Space Center through ongoing communication with companies," adding, "Our goal is to establish a foundation for private launch vehicle companies to grow together, building on the success of Nuriho."
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