With the successful fourth launch of the Korean launch vehicle 'Nuri' on November 27, the domestic private space ecosystem is gaining momentum. In Jeju, a space industry outpost that handles everything from satellite research and development to manufacturing has opened. It is the largest satellite manufacturing infrastructure led by a private company in the country.

Hanwha Systems held a completion ceremony for the Hanwha Jeju Space Center on December 2 at the Hawon Techno Campus in Seogwipo, Jeju. The event was attended by approximately 300 key figures, including Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Systems, Oh Young-hoon, Governor of Jeju Province, Jeju residents, government research institutions, the military, and partner companies.

● The largest private satellite manufacturing infrastructure in the country “Up to 100 satellites produced annually”

The former Tamna University site, which had been abandoned for 14 years, has been transformed into a state-of-the-art satellite base with the Hanwha Jeju Space Center, covering a total floor area of 11,400㎡ (approximately 3,450 pyeong). The space center visited on this day was equipped with advanced technologies, including △satellite development and assembly rooms △satellite function and performance testing rooms △satellite integration testing clean rooms △space center control rooms, and space environment testing control rooms. Next to the center are the Tamna Radio Astronomy Observatory of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the Seogwipo Astronomical Science and Culture Center. By 2027, the ground system of the Korean Positioning System (KPS), a national infrastructure of the Aerospace Administration, will also break ground near the center.

The first-floor lobby of the Jeju Space Center featured a full-scale model of a low Earth orbit 'SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)' satellite, attracting attention. SAR satellites are widely used in fields such as climate and environmental change prediction, disaster monitoring, resource exploration, and security. Hanwha Space Center plans to focus on producing 'SAR satellites' and is also planning overseas satellite contract manufacturing.

Once the center is fully operational, it will produce 4 to 8 small low Earth orbit satellites monthly. Hanwha Systems expects to produce up to 100 satellites annually starting next year. This is the largest production capacity for a single facility in the country. Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Systems, emphasized at the completion ceremony, “The world is now in a New Space era led by the private sector, with competition to reach space more intense than ever. Hanwha aims to develop the Jeju Space Center, along with the recently successfully launched Nuri, into a key hub for the leap and prosperity of the private-led space industry ecosystem.”

● Oh Young-hoon, Governor of Jeju, “Pursuing designation of Jeju as a 3+1 space cluster”

Jeju Province plans to maximize the added value of the space industry by actively fostering the 'satellite information utilization' sector starting in 2026, using Hanwha's satellite manufacturing base as a stepping stone. The province intends to propose to the government the designation of a 'satellite information utilization cluster,' which integrates data received from satellites into various industries such as agriculture, environment, marine, and transportation. The plan is to launch satellites made in Jeju from the sea off Jeju and foster industries that utilize satellite data.

Governor Oh stated at a press conference with the Aerospace Administration press corps on December 1, “We are pursuing the designation of Jeju as a ‘3+1 space cluster’ by adding it to the existing three major space clusters in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, and Daejeon. We will develop the satellite utilization industry in Jeju, which has all the geographical advantages for satellite launches, and connect it with space tourism experiences.”

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