Korean Air, Hyundai Rotem to build reusable methane rocket engine
This aerial rendering shows a reusable 35-ton-class methane rocket engine, a core technology for next-generation launch vehicles. Courtesy of Hyundai Rotem
Korean Air and Hyundai Rotem said Wednesday they will jointly develop a reusable 35-ton-class methane rocket engine — a core technology for next-generation launch vehicles — by October 2030 under a government-backed 49 billion-won ($33 million) program.
Under the program, overseen by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT), Hyundai Rotem will lead engine planning, evaluate the engine power pack and manufacture the engine's combustors, the company said in a press release.
"We began work on methane engine technologies in 1994 and achieved a successful combustion test in 2006. Through this project, we expect to secure the technological base needed to commercialize methane rocket engines," Hyundai Rotem, the country's sole tank manufacturer, said.
Korean Air, the nation's largest carrier, said it will lead development of the engine's turbopump — a core component often described as the heart of the propulsion system.
"We are mobilizing our aerospace expertise to develop a high-performance, highly reliable turbopump optimized for methane engines," said Kim Kyung-nam, head of Korean Air's Aerospace R&D Center. "This project will strengthen Korea's space industry ecosystem and support the development of military satellite launch vehicles and future national defense needs."
Korean Air said technologies developed through the program will bolster national defense capabilities and establish a strategic foundation for the country's rapidly growing commercial New Space sector.
Some 70 experts and government and industry officials attended a kick-off meeting in Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province, to review development tasks, technical-validation procedures and risk-management plans essential to the program's success, the companies said.