Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a contract with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) on December 26 for the development of integrated technology for the Korean Positioning System (KPS) navigation payload.
Under the contract, KAI will support the system design of the navigation payload for KPS Satellite 1 and develop, assemble, and test test devices for system evaluation. The contract is worth about 7.8 billion won and is for a period of three years until December 2026.
The KPS development project is to build a satellite navigation system to provide ultra-precise positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) information for the Korean Peninsula and neighboring regions.
It consists of the development of a total of eight navigation satellites, ground systems, and user systems. Satellites 1 and 2 will be jointly developed by the actor and industrial companies, and industrial companies will be responsible for the total assembly of satellites 3 to 8 in the mass production stage.
In addition to the payload development contract, KAI is also expected to sign a contract for comprehensive design and total assembly technology services for the systems of Hangwooyeon and KPS Satellite No. 1 in connection with the KPS development project.
"This project will be a bridgehead for the selection of a system integrator for the second phase of the KPS satellite," said a KAI official. "We will contribute to the independence of KPS technology, which will be the core of future projects, by participating in the localization of not only the payload but also the main body electronics, joint design of the satellite body system, and total assembly technology services."
Meanwhile, KAI has participated in the development of domestic satellites such as multi-purpose utility satellites, geostationary satellites, and next-generation medium-sized satellites for the past 30 years, and in May this year, it contracted to develop a SAR verification satellite for the Very Small Satellite System, solidifying its position as a small, medium, and large satellite system comprehensive company.
