Hana Asset Management's 1Q US Aerospace Tech ETF Surpasses 100 Billion Won in Net Assets

Hana Asset Management announced on January 5 that the "1Q US Aerospace Tech ETF," Korea's first US aerospace technology ETF listed on November 25 last year, has surpassed 100 billion won in net assets, driven by net purchases from individual and pension investors.

The 1Q US Aerospace Tech ETF is the first ETF in Korea to focus on leading US space and aerospace technology companies. It has its largest holdings in Rocket Lab and Joby Aviation, each accounting for approximately 16%, while the remaining 68% is allocated to key related companies such as Palantir, GE Aerospace, AST SpaceMobile, and Archer Aviation. In the future, when SpaceX goes public, the 1Q US Aerospace Tech ETF plans to immediately include it with the highest allocation.

According to the Korea Exchange, the 1Q US Aerospace Tech ETF achieved a return of about 27% within just five weeks of its listing, ranking first among overseas equity ETFs in December. Expectations surrounding the potential IPO of SpaceX, which is anticipated to be worth about 1.5 trillion dollars (approximately 2,200 trillion won) in 2026, have driven up the stock prices of space-related companies included in the ETF, such as Rocket Lab (the largest holding), Intuitive Machines, AST SpaceMobile, and Firefly Aerospace.

On December 18 last year (local US time), US President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled "Ensuring American Space Superiority." The main objectives include achieving a crewed lunar landing by 2028 through the Artemis program and establishing the initial elements of a permanent lunar base by 2030, signaling a US-centric space dominance strategy.

Recently, big tech companies such as Google, OpenAI, and SpaceX have been actively conducting demonstration research to operate AI by building data centers in space. Space data centers can instantly resolve chronic bottlenecks in energy and cooling that plague traditional data centers. In space, solar power generation can take place 24 hours a day without the limitations of day and night or weather, and due to the extremely low temperatures (around minus 270 degrees Celsius), no additional cooling systems are needed.

Google, which has been pursuing the "Suncatcher" project since last year, plans to launch its first prototype satellite in 2027. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has reportedly been in contact with rocket companies such as Stoke Space to operate AI data centers in space. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, recently stated at a conference, "Within five years, space will become the most cost-effective AI training ground."

Kim Taewoo, CEO of Hana Asset Management, said, "With SpaceX's IPO expected this year, the aerospace industry is anticipated to see significant attention and growth," adding, "We will continue to launch differentiated ETFs unique to 1Q ETF."

The 1Q US Aerospace Tech ETF is available for investment through all securities firm accounts and can also be accessed via Hana Bank accounts.