SMB Technology Agency Visits Spacelintec, Company That Succeeded in Nuri Rocket Satellite Deployment and Communication

On-site Visit and Roundtable with Leading TIPS Program Company

The Small and Medium Business Technology Information Promotion Agency announced that on December 29, President Kim Youngshin visited Spacelintec, which successfully mounted a space bio satellite on the fourth launch of the Nuri rocket and established communication. This on-site visit was arranged to directly assess the technological status of a leading company in the TIPS program that achieved the significant milestone of successfully mounting and communicating with a space bio satellite on the Nuri rocket, and to discuss the growth potential and policy support directions in the space-bio convergence sector.

Kim Youngshin, President of the Small and Medium Business Technology Information Promotion Agency (fourth from the right), and employees visited Space Lintec and took a commemorative photo with Space Lintec employees, including CEO Yoon Haksoon (fifth from the right). Photo by Kijeongwon

Spacelintec is a deep-tech bio company developing a low-Earth orbit satellite-based space pharmaceutical research platform. It successfully mounted a pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) satellite (BEE-1000) on the fourth Nuri rocket and established communication, presenting new possibilities for domestic space pharmaceutical research through immuno-oncology protein crystallization experiments in a microgravity environment. In particular, Spacelintec carried out core technology development in 2023 with support from the Deep-Tech TIPS program, and this year, as a selected company for the Scale-Up TIPS matching investment, it is actively advancing and commercializing its space pharmaceutical research platform.

On this day, President Kim toured Spacelintec’s research facilities and satellite control and experiment systems, inspecting the current status of space environment-based bio experiment equipment, ground-based simulated microgravity research platforms, and low-Earth orbit satellite utilization technologies. He also listened to updates from the company’s CEO and researchers regarding technology development progress, follow-up demonstration plans, global cooperation and commercialization strategies, and challenges faced. Yoon Haksoon, CEO of Spacelintec, stated, “Thanks to the phased support from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Agency, we were able to take on the challenge of advanced bio research utilizing the space environment,” adding, “Based on our space pharmaceutical research platform, we will expand the paradigm of new drug development for domestic pharmaceutical and bio companies and accelerate our entry into the global market.”

President Kim remarked, “Bio research utilizing the space environment is a strategic field that could become a game-changer in future new drug development and the advanced bio industry,” and added, “The case of Spacelintec is a representative example of the TIPS program, where private investment and government R&D combined to take on high-risk, high-difficulty technologies and achieve tangible results.” He continued, “The Agency will continue to support innovative companies in strategic technology fields such as space and bio, helping them grow into leading companies with global competitiveness through the TIPS program and various other support projects.”