Hanwha Systems joins Korea's national space debris tracking system

Hanwha Systems has entered into a contract with the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) to become a private-sector developer of the national space debris tracking system. This agreement, signed on September 9, positions Hanwha Systems as a system developer for the Korean Space Situational Awareness (K-SSA) project, overseen by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), the nation's space agency.

Space situational awareness involves monitoring and analyzing the position and orbit of objects in space to identify and anticipate risks like collisions or objects re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. The proliferation of satellites in low Earth orbit over recent years has escalated the risk of spacecraft collisions, whether with man-made objects, such as defunct satellites, or natural entities like debris and meteoroids, thereby heightening the need for protective measures for national space assets.

As part of the project, KASI will assume the role of the lead research institute, determining the mission, operational concept, and system requirements for the K-SSA system.