Space program projects are notorious for unexpected delays and subsequent cost overruns. These costs are also optimistic estimates under the assumption that every stage of projects is without technical difficulties. These projects are occupying the majority of the institute’s budget and manpower, leaving other missions and projects largely underfunded or ignored. The lunar module project alone costs $650 million and the development of rocket technology will come with an expected price tag of $1.9 billion. The institute had a budget of $583 million in FY 2015. Seoul recognizes the strategic importance of indigenous space technology, but KARI faces two shortcomings.įirst, KARI lacks adequate government funding.
#THE EXTREME RACE 2017 SPAIN FULL#
This program requires extensive space surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, such as spy satellites, and an indigenous ability to place those platforms in orbit.Įnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. In light of the growing North Korean missile threat, Seoul has been pursuing the “ Kill Chain” program – a counterstrike capability to destroy North Korean missile and nuclear assets in the event of a conflict. Militarily, the government seeks to expand its space-based assets. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. It also hopes to provide cost-efficient launch options for the country’s advanced IT sector and to be an alternative launch option for developing countries. Seoul predicts that space technology will create high-tech firms, expand employment opportunities, and stimulate other industries. Despite this gap, Seoul sought to develop indigenous space technology because it recognized the strategic importance of the space industry.Įconomically, the government sees space technology as an industry that will spur the country’s economic and technological competitiveness in the 21st century. In 1989, South Korea had just established KARI while NASA regularly launched space shuttles and its Viking spacecrafts were racing toward the edge of our solar system. Why is South Korea so obsessed with the race to space? South Korea’s space research and development started late compared to advanced space programs. She also supported the institute’s development of an indigenous launch vehicle and rocket capability. She brought forward the launch date of a lunar-lander mission from 2025 to 2020 and designated it as a central national objective. However, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)’s inadequate budget and lack of cooperation between the institute and the private industry are likely to hamper the country’s such expectations.Īfter South Korea’s first successful rocket launch, then-President Park Geun-hye pledged that space technology would be the cornerstone of her administration’s work. Seoul saw this achievement as an opportunity to transform its fledging space program into one capable of generating economic and military interest.
On January 30, 2018, South Korea will celebrate the fifth anniversary of their first successful rocket launch.
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