Hanwha to make satellite thrusters with Korea's aerospace institute

Hanwha Corp. will develop the bipropellant thruster, a key component for adjusting the satellite’s position in orbit, together with Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), according to the company’s release.

Hanwha will invest a total of 80 billion won ($71 million) by 2025 to develop the component that until now was imported from Germany and other countries.

KARI said its partnership with Hanwha marks one of 10 Space Pioneer projects that the institute will kick off this year. Space Pioneer is a government-led initiative to localize key components previously imported by the country’s space industry.

Analysts say that the thruster is often referred to as “the heart” of a satellite as it has a direct impact on its lifespan. The thruster helps satellites adjust their orbit and positions in case of interference by the gravities of Earth and other planets.  

Hanwha and KARI said that their new thruster will adopt a storable bipropellant mechanism to allow satellites to survive for a longer period.

After separating from the main rocket, the satellites need to reach the target orbit using the thrusters and must withstand extreme environments for up to 15 years in space.

Hanwha said that the storable bipropellant mechanism ensures better fuel efficiency by storing fuel and oxidants in different tanks, a practice that allows more fuel to be stored for a longer time span.

“At a time when the space sector is led by the private sector, this is a significant achievement -- having localized a core technology that had 100% overseas dependency,” said Hanwha CEO Kim Seung-mo.

Write to Kyung-min Kang at kkm1026@hankyung.com
Daniel Cho edited this article.