Hanwha to invest $35.6 bil. in aerospace, AI by 2040
Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan announces the company's investment plan during a public briefing chaired by President Lee Jae Myung in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Yonhap
Hanwha Group, Korea's largest defense and aerospace conglomerate, said Friday it will invest 55 trillion won ($35.6 billion) in the aerospace and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors by 2040 to develop launch vehicles, satellites and AI data centers.
Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan outlined the roadmap during a public briefing presided over by President Lee Jae Myung in the southeastern city of Jinju, as part of the government's mega project centered on attracting massive investment in AI and high-tech industries.
Kim said the initiative aligns with Korea's broader push to strengthen indigenous defense capabilities while reducing reliance on foreign satellite and intelligence infrastructure.
"The future of self-reliant national defense lies in space," Kim emphasized. "Based on our launch vehicle and satellite technologies, Hanwha will build the capabilities needed for Korea to independently secure the information it requires."
Under the plan, Hanwha Aerospace will inject about 23 trillion won into space launch vehicles, assembly facilities and launch vehicle testing infrastructure.
Another 20 trillion won will be allocated to ultra-low Earth orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, a space AI data center and a low Earth orbit satellite communications network.
Hanwha's integrated space infrastructure will comprise a constellation of observation satellites operating at an altitude of about 350 kilometers, a space AI data center at 400 km, and a low Earth orbit satellite communications network at 900 km to transmit images and other data in real time.
"Space competition is no longer just about building satellites. It is about who can secure information, who can analyze it and who can leverage it to strengthen national security," Kim said.
Its affiliate, Hanwha Systems, plans to launch and operate 64 SAR satellites by 2031 to provide continuous real-time Earth observation.
The company, which opened the nation's largest privately operated satellite manufacturing facility on the southern resort island of Jeju in December, also plans to build a space AI data center to store and analyze data collected by its satellites.
In addition, it aims to deploy 192 low Earth orbit communications satellites, followed by more than 60 additional satellites to extend service life and expand coverage to the Arctic region.
As an initial step, Hanwha will establish a defense AI data center in Changwon, a southeastern industrial city that serves as the nation's defense manufacturing hub.
The data center is scheduled to begin operations this year with a capacity of 45 megawatts (MW) and will be expanded in phases to 135 MW by 2032.