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The Hanwha Jeju Space Center, the nation’s biggest satellite production site able to manufacture 100 satellites per year, has been set up.

Jeju Province and Hanwha Systems conducted a closing event for the Jeju Space Center on the 2nd in Hawon-dong, Seogwipo City, Jeju. The Hanwha Jeju Space Center is the biggest privately managed satellite production facility in South Korea.

Covering 30,000 square meters (about 9,075 pyeong), which is equivalent to four soccer fields, and having a total floor space of 11,400 square meters (around 3,450 pyeong), the Jeju Space Center is a “privately driven satellite production facility” that combines advanced satellite manufacturing technology.

It features one basement level and two floors above ground, designed as a cutting-edge satellite production center that includes a satellite development and assembly area, a facility for testing satellite functions and performance, a clean room for satellite integration testing, a space center control room, a space environment testing control room, office areas for staff, and supporting facilities.

Beginning next year, as many as 100 satellites will be manufactured each year at this location.

In this regard, the facility has carefully set up critical infrastructure for processes like thermal vacuum testing to confirm satellite functionality in space conditions and near-field range testing to assess antenna performance at short distances. Hanwha Systems intends to progressively improve efficiency by increasing automated assembly and production equipment in the coming years.

The Hanwha Jeju Space Center’s production is anticipated to concentrate on “SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites,” utilized for observing the Earth. SAR satellites, able to produce detailed images of the surface regardless of time of day or weather conditions, are extensively applied in fields like predicting climate and environmental changes, monitoring disasters, exploring resources, and ensuring security, which is expected to generate various forms of additional value for the company.

After the successful deployment of a 1-meter resolution SAR satellite in 2023, Hanwha Systems is now working on 0.5-meter and 0.25-meter resolution versions. The company is also advancing the development of an ultra-high-resolution “VLEO (Very Low Earth Orbit) UHR (Ultra-High Resolution) SAR” satellite designed to produce 15-centimeter (0.15-meter) resolution images from an altitude of 400 kilometers or less while operating in very low Earth orbit.

With the Hanwha Jeju Space Center now transformed into a center for the space industry on the former site of Tamna University, Hanwha Systems also seeks to support the revitalization of Jeju’s local economy and generate job opportunities, promoting mutual growth in the area.

Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon said, “This center signifies that Jeju has emerged as the core of the ‘New Space’ era,” and added, “An independent supply chain has now been created, allowing satellites produced in Jeju to launch into space from the waters near Jeju.” Governor Oh also noted, “By integrating the manufacturing strengths of the Hanwha Jeju Space Center with the infrastructure of the Korean Positioning System (KPS) ground system, which was obtained last September, the Hawon Techno Campus will serve as a crucial hub for South Korea’s space industry.”

Jeju Province anticipates that the center will bring beneficial effects to the local economy and generate employment opportunities. At present, out of roughly 150 employees working at seven space-related companies and organizations in Jeju, around 60%, which equals 89 people, are residents of Jeju. With four graduates from Hallim Industrial High School, recognized as a “specialized high school under an agreement,” being recruited by the Hanwha Jeju Space Center, there are indications that a positive cycle of local talent growth—connecting education, job opportunities, and residency—is beginning to take shape.