Musk Shakes Up Space Communication Scene…South Korea's Bold Move with Independent Satellite Network

Musk Shakes Up Space Communication Scene…South Korea's Bold Move with Independent Satellite Network

Up to 13 trillion won to be invested every 5 years…Reviewing up to 512 low-Earth orbit satellites

Reduce reliance on foreign networks and secure core infrastructure for security and disaster response

As Starlink, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, has preempted the global low-Earth orbit satellite communication market, securing space communication networks is emerging as a new arena for national competition.

The government's move to establish its own low-Earth orbit satellite communication network of several hundred satellites by 2035 stems from the judgment that it must secure core infrastructure to support national security and industrial competitiveness without relying on foreign services for future communication infrastructure.

With the scope of satellite communication utilization expanding to include 6th-generation mobile communication (6G), artificial intelligence (AI), and disaster response, the government plans to foster the domestic space ecosystem, from satellite manufacturing to launch and services, through large-scale investment.

◇ Building a satellite network of up to 512 satellites by 2035…Reviewing 3 scenarios

According to the low-Earth orbit satellite communication network construction scenarios presented at the 'Yeongnam Region Advanced Industry Development Vision Public Briefing' unveiled by the Korea Aerospace Administration on the 3rd, the government is considering three options to operate between a minimum of 128 and a maximum of 512 satellites.

Option 1 involves raising the satellite altitude to 1,280 km to reduce network construction costs and the number of satellites. It is estimated to cost 3.9982 trillion won every five years, considering the lifespan of the satellites.

Option 2 involves prioritizing the use of domestic launch vehicles and sending 256 satellites to an altitude of 888 km, which is the current technology development altitude, costing 7.4184 trillion won every five years.

Option 3, considering the significantly increasing demand for private low-Earth orbit satellite communication, involves sending 512 satellites to an altitude of 1,280 km, which is estimated to cost 14.2586 trillion won every five years.

These scenarios were reviewed by a multi-agency task force (TF) led by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Lee Hyun-ho, Director-General of the Radio Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated at a briefing held at the Seoul Government Complex that "this is an estimate including satellite manufacturing costs, launch costs, ground station terminal manufacturing costs, and operating costs. Currently, we plan to launch two low-Earth orbit satellites in the first quarter of 2030, and the goal is to mass-produce them by 2035 by linking the technologies developed from them."

◇ Reduce Starlink dependence and secure space sovereignty…Foster public-private ecosystem

This plan is understood to be based on the judgment that if reliance on overseas commercial low-Earth orbit satellite communication services, such as SpaceX's Starlink, deepens while they are already being provided, domestic communication sovereignty could be weakened.

It also appears to include a strategy to resolve issues such as the lack of a low-Earth orbit satellite communication technology base, a mass production system for large satellites, and a shortage of launch vehicles through this super-large project.

The government's massive infrastructure investment could serve as a catalyst for the private sector to build and lead the space industry ecosystem.

Furthermore, the plan seems to reflect the increasing importance of communication network access from a security perspective, given that Starlink has recently been used in the Russia-Ukraine war and has a close impact on the defense environment.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration also provided opinions on security aspects to this task force.

◇ Key infrastructure for security, 6G, and disaster response…Long-term investment sustainability is crucial

Concurrently, there is an outlook that securing a large constellation of satellites, which could become 6G and AI infrastructure, could provide new momentum in the telecommunications sector, which has been struggling to find new industries.

Noh Kyung-won, Deputy Administrator of the Korea Aerospace Administration, stated, "Low-Earth orbit communication satellites or satellite communication have various purposes such as national security, 6G communication, and disaster response. SpaceX also divides its services into four categories, and we also need to consider which services to prioritize sequentially."

However, as enormous investment ranging from a minimum of 800 billion won to 2.8 trillion won annually is required, addressing concerns about whether the policy can be consistently pursued thereafter is considered a key challenge.

To establish an inter-ministerial cooperation system and ensure policy consistency, the government decided to establish an inter-agency task force under the Ministry of Science and ICT to carry out project planning, industrial base development, international cooperation response, and the development of satellite communication utilization plans in the defense sector.