S.Korea to change rocket launch permit system to licensing model

South Korea will change its system for sending projectiles into space to a licensing model covering one to five years instead of requiring approval for every launch.

The Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday announced this and other measures to raise the competitiveness of domestic space companies at a ministerial meeting on national administration.

Under the Space Development Promotion Act, ministry permission is required to launch a rocket that sends a satellite into space. Each launch requires the submission of hundreds of pages of analysis reports on projectile safety and plans for payload operation and damage liability to the government for review.

This system drew fire after the test launch of a solid fuel propellant in December last year by the Agency for Defense Development. The Ministry of National Defense insisted that no permission was needed for the launch based on its own directive.

As the controversy grew, the government announced a plan to categorize space (rockets) and suborbital launch vehicles (missiles).

Started in 2010, the launch licensing system of the US considers the surging number of private space companies including SpaceX, which launches a rocket every six days.

"We expect a major reduction in the workload of space launch vehicle startups such as Perigee Aerospace and Innospace as well as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and comprehensive systems company Hanwha Aerospace Co.," a ministry official said.

Write to Jin-Won Kim at jin1@hankyung.com