What is Hanwha Aerospace building for reusable rocket development?

Hanwha Aerospace has started full assembly of a reusable rocket technology demonstrator under a project led by KARI. The vehicle is intended to verify core technologies needed for reusable launch vehicles, including vertical takeoff and landing.

When is the reusable rocket demonstrator flight test planned and what will it do?

The technology demonstrations are targeted for completion by 2028. In the planned flight test, the demonstrator is expected to ascend vertically to 500 meters in about 90 seconds and then return for a controlled vertical landing.

Why does Hanwha Aerospace want reusable launch vehicle technology?

Hanwha Aerospace says recovering and reusing rocket stages can reduce launch costs, making reusable launch technology increasingly important in space transportation. The company also says the project is groundwork for reuse of the first stage of Korea’s next-generation launch vehicle planned for development in the mid-2030s.

Hanwha Aerospace starts assembling prototype for reusable rockets

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Summary

Hanwha Aerospace has begun full assembly of a reusable rocket technology demonstrator in Korea as part of a KARI-led project. The demonstrator is meant to support vertical takeoff and landing testing by 2028 and to build core reusable launch vehicle technology. Hanwha Aerospace says the work supports its push into the global space transportation market and its goal of becoming a Korean SpaceX.

Key Facts

The demonstrator is 12.2 meters tall and 1.5 meters in diameter, and it is designed to carry one staged-combustion cycle turbopump engine.
The planned 2028 flight test is expected to rise vertically to 500 meters in about 90 seconds before returning for a controlled vertical landing.
The project is led by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute with Vitzro Nextech and Hanyang ENG also participating.
Hanwha Aerospace said the test will focus on engine thrust control, attitude control and guidance, which are essential for landing at a designated site.

By Lee Kyung-min

Published Sep 30, 2026 2:43 pm KST

Flight operation plan for reusable rocket technology demonstrator / Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Korea’s premier defense and space contractor Hanwha Aerospace has begun assembling a reusable rocket technology demonstrator, marking a critical step toward developing vertically landing launch vehicles similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

Hanwha Aerospace said Wednesday that it started full assembly of the demonstrator as part of a project led by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), with Vitzro Nextech and Hanyang ENG also participating.

The project aims to complete technology demonstrations by 2028, including a vertical takeoff and landing flight test designed to verify core technologies needed for reusable launch vehicles.

The demonstrator stands 12.2 meters tall and 1.5 meters in diameter and is designed to carry one staged-combustion cycle turbopump engine.

During a planned 2028 flight test, the vehicle is expected to rise vertically to an altitude of 500 meters within about 90 seconds before returning for a controlled vertical landing.

Hanwha Aerospace said the test will focus on technologies including engine thrust control, attitude control and guidance, all considered essential to bringing a reusable launch vehicle back to a designated landing site.

The company said reusable launch technology is increasingly important in space transportation because recovering and reusing rocket stages can reduce launch costs.

Hanwha Aerospace said it is conducting the demonstrator project under KARI’s leadership as groundwork for reuse of the first stage of Korea’s next-generation launch vehicle, which is planned for development in the mid-2030s.

The company said it aims to use the project to build technical capabilities for reusable launch vehicles and accelerate its entry into the global space transportation services market.

Securing reusable launch vehicle technology is an essential requirement for the company's ambition to become a "Korean SpaceX," a Hanwha Aerospace official said.

"By successfully carrying out this research alongside the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and our partners, we aim to bolster the nation's space transport capabilities and accelerate the growth of the private space ecosystem," the official added.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

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