Korea likely to launch independent space agency in May 2024

A promotional hall of KASA at City Hall in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province [Photo by Yonhap]

South Korea could launch its equivalent of the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in May 2024, with the ruling and opposition parties expected to pass a bill that has been pending for nine months at the National Assembly to establish a new space agency on Tuesday.

The independent agency will play a key role in strategically and comprehensively coordinating national space development efforts. It will help nurture outstanding private space companies like SpaceX in the United States while accelerating efforts to help Korea to catch up with countries like the United States and Japan, as well as providing a platform to outpace emerging nations such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On Monday, the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Future Planning, Broadcasting and Communications Committee approved the special bill on the establishment and operation of the independent aerospace research institute. If the bill passes the plenary session on Tuesday, the space agency is expected to be launched as early as May 2024. The law typically takes effect four months after its promulgation.

The need for the establishment of the space agency has been continuously raised since the 2010s. Advocates argued that a separate organization or agency similar to NASA, China National Space Administration, and Russia’s space state agency Roskosmos, is necessary to strategically integrate and coordinate policies related to national space development.

Latecomers like the UAE, Luxembourg, and Brazil have already established and are operating dedicated space agencies.

Reflecting the voices of the scientific community, President Yoon Suk Yeol included the establishment of the space agency as a presidential campaign pledge.

Benchmarking NASA, the independent agency will serve as Korea’s representative space organization after its establishment. It will be responsible for policies, research and development, industrial promotion, and international cooperation.

The agency plans to move away from fragmented individual development efforts and pursue concentrated and efficient space development via a national control tower.

Consequently, all cross-departmental policies, industrial promotion, and international cooperation related to aerospace activities within various ministries will be transferred to the new agency. The agency will oversee these activities, secure necessary budgets, and establish relevant policies and legal frameworks.

But space defense projects related to national security will remain under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defense.

The independent agency will also serve as the official gateway for international space cooperation. Currently, research institutions such as the Korea Aerospace Institute (KARI) and the Korea Astronomy & Space Science Institute (KASI) conduct international cooperation in space individually, which led to challenges in forming a comprehensive response in discussions related to international cooperation.

The establishment of the space agency is expected to be a precedent for administrative organization innovation in Korea. The law includes a special provision allowing the agency to determine the compensation standards for term-limited public officials without being bound by the National Civil Service Act. The intention is to reward officials based on their capabilities.

The new agency, which will be located in Sacheon City in South Gyeongsang Province, will have 300 workers, with an annual budget of 700 billion won ($533.3 million). KARI and KASI will operate as affiliated agencies.

“As we establish this space agency, we also need to foster space industries such as launch vehicles, advanced engines, and satellites, as soon as possible,” an industry insider said.