By Baek Byung-yeul
The government is nurturing future workers for the space industry and private space companies through a cube satellite design contest, the science ministry said Sunday.
The Ministry of Science and ICT said it will take applications for the contest for a month from May 29. It will then select three teams comprised of university students and one team from a private company.
The cube satellite is a miniaturized satellite for space research. The winning teams will work on designing and developing three 30-cubic-centimeter satellites and one 60-cubic centimeter satellite.
The ministry will support the development of the satellites, which will be completed by 2021. They will be launched by the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2), also called Nuri, in October 2021.
The ministry said the contest is designed to raise awareness of the space industry because cube satellites are relatively easy to develop compared to multi-purpose satellites or the small satellite developed by a research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
"Taking the cube satellite-making contest as an opportunity, we hope the participating students and venture firms can develop their skills," said Choi Won-ho, director general of the space, nuclear and big science policy bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT. "We also expect that they can grow into core personnel and companies that can lead the country's space industry."
The science ministry said the contest will have two stages. Eight teams will be shortlisted through the first stage, which will be announced in February 2020, while the final winners will be announced in August 2020.
The three teams that will develop the 30-cubic-centimeter satellites will each receive a prize of 450 million won ($380,000) while 700 million won will be awarded to the team that develops the 60-cubic-centimeter satellite.
With the country preparing to launch its three-stage rocket in 2021, Korea has been struggling to nurture talent and private firms in the sector as only about 300 companies here have been involved in developing launch vehicles and satellites.
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| A poster for the cube satellite design contest. / Courtesy of the Ministry of Science and ICT |
The Ministry of Science and ICT said it will take applications for the contest for a month from May 29. It will then select three teams comprised of university students and one team from a private company.
The cube satellite is a miniaturized satellite for space research. The winning teams will work on designing and developing three 30-cubic-centimeter satellites and one 60-cubic centimeter satellite.
The ministry will support the development of the satellites, which will be completed by 2021. They will be launched by the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2), also called Nuri, in October 2021.
The ministry said the contest is designed to raise awareness of the space industry because cube satellites are relatively easy to develop compared to multi-purpose satellites or the small satellite developed by a research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
"Taking the cube satellite-making contest as an opportunity, we hope the participating students and venture firms can develop their skills," said Choi Won-ho, director general of the space, nuclear and big science policy bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT. "We also expect that they can grow into core personnel and companies that can lead the country's space industry."
The science ministry said the contest will have two stages. Eight teams will be shortlisted through the first stage, which will be announced in February 2020, while the final winners will be announced in August 2020.
The three teams that will develop the 30-cubic-centimeter satellites will each receive a prize of 450 million won ($380,000) while 700 million won will be awarded to the team that develops the 60-cubic-centimeter satellite.
With the country preparing to launch its three-stage rocket in 2021, Korea has been struggling to nurture talent and private firms in the sector as only about 300 companies here have been involved in developing launch vehicles and satellites.
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