Space Agency to Integrate Space and Aviation Policy System... Full-Fledged Promotion of Private Launch and Satellite Industries

Fifth Nuriho launch to proceed without a hitch... Enactment of the Space and Aviation Industry Promotion Act and the Satellite Utilization Promotion Act also planned

The Space and Aviation Agency is shifting the center of gravity of this year's policy toward integrating space and aviation policy implementation systems and fostering a private sector-led industry, entering a full-fledged execution phase. The plan is to translate the systems and plans that have been prepared since its launch into tangible results.

At a general meeting of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee on February 11, during a work report, the Space and Aviation Agency presented its key policy initiatives for 2026, stating that "the preparation phase is over, and now it is time to deliver results."

The Korean launch vehicle Nuriho No. 4 is being launched at Naro Uju Center in Goheung-gun, Jeonnam, at dawn on November 27 last year. Provided by Yonhap News

Oh Taeseok, Administrator of the Space and Aviation Agency, said, "Space competition between governments around the world and global corporations is intensifying," adding, "We will calmly implement tasks that encompass launch vehicles and satellites, exploration and aviation, and industry and talent, and thereby generate substantive outcomes."

Integration of space and aviation policy systems... Expanded into the National Space and Aviation Commission

To bring space and aviation policy under a single framework, the Space Agency is pursuing a plan to merge the National Space Committee and the Aerospace Industry Development Policy Deliberation Committee and expand and reorganize them into the "National Space and Aviation Commission." The aim is to build an integrated national-level decision-making and coordination system that reflects the characteristics of the space and aviation sector, where technological innovation, industrial promotion, and security and safety issues are intertwined.

In the area of space safety, the agency will begin development of the Korea Space Situational Awareness system (K-SSA) to strengthen monitoring capabilities such as predicting the risk of reentry or collision of space objects. It also plans to simultaneously improve launch safety control systems and related laws and regulations so that development near launch sites does not undermine safety.

On the 4th, Oh Taeseok, the newly appointed Administrator of the Korea Aerospace Administration, was seen commuting to the agency. Photo provided by the Korea Aerospace Administration.

Industry to be grown through "law and procurement"... New Space Fund expanded to 200 billion won

To provide institutional support for industrial development, the Space Agency is pushing for the enactment of the tentative "Space and Aviation Industry Promotion Act." The idea is to include in the law the legal basis for support measures and regulatory improvements for fostering a private sector-led space industry, as well as the grounds for establishing a dedicated support organization.

The agency will also introduce a system under which space products and services are procured rather than treated as research and development (R&D), so that public sector space projects translate into corporate revenue. In the satellite sector, it plans to enact the tentative "Satellite Utilization Promotion Act" to expand private and public use of satellite information and to support demonstrations of AI-based satellite information services.

To supply capital to the private ecosystem, the New Space investment fund will be significantly expanded to 200 billion won in 2026. The goal is to promote the creation and growth of space companies and thereby build a self-sustaining industrial base.

2026 Draft Plan for Major Domestic Satellite and Launch Vehicle Launches. Provided by the Space Agency

Fifth Nuriho launch and transition to the private sector... "Preparing for an era when the private sector launches"

In the field of space transportation, the agency will ensure the fifth launch of Nuriho proceeds without a hitch to demonstrate its capability for multiple deployment of ultra-small satellite constellations. It then plans to accelerate the transition to commercially driven launches led by companies through preparations for the seventh launch and performance improvements.

In the medium to long term, the agency has also proposed a plan to convert the nation's main launch vehicle in the 2030s into a reusable launcher in order to reduce launch costs and secure competitiveness in the low Earth orbit space economy. It will also support private launch vehicle development by improving regulations, including rationalizing launch licensing procedures.

The budget of the Space and Aviation Agency for 2026 is 1.1201 trillion won, up 16.1% from the previous year. The agency stated that, leveraging this budget increase, it will intensify strategic investment in launch vehicles, satellites, industry, and talent development.

Administrator Oh said, "We will make space and aviation a strategic industry for the nation's future and open the 'K-SPACE' era through technological self-reliance," adding, "We ask for the National Assembly's continued interest and support."