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Two K-Space Forum member companies, ContextSpace Group and CSO, met with ALCE, a multilateral space cooperation organization for Central and South American countries, at a startup campus in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 21st to discuss business cooperation. ALCE announced that it will continue business cooperation with these two startups through this meeting and maintain ongoing collaboration with the K-Space Forum.
The meeting between ALCE and domestic space startups was conducted through the 'K-Space Forum,' jointly operated by MoneyToday's startup media platform 'Unicorn Factory' and the foundation GDIN (Global Digital Innovation Network). The K-Space Forum is a consultative body connecting talent, capital, and technology in the space sector, with currently over 50 mid-sized companies, venture startups, and venture capital firms (VCs) participating.
ALCE is a multilateral space cooperation organization for Central and South American countries launched in 2024, modeled after the European Space Agency (ESA). Mexico serves as the chair country, with 12 member states including the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Paraguay, and Venezuela. Executive members of ALCE, including Secretary-General Oscar Freddy Gonzalez, visited Korea to meet with major corporations and research institutions such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and Hanwha Aerospace before seeking cooperation plans with Korean space startups through the K-Space Forum.
During the meeting that lasted over two hours, ALCE Secretary-General Oscar Freddy Gonzalez stated, "To grow the Central and South American space industry, we aim to build strategic alliances with Korea's highly advanced space startups." He further emphasized, "The economic synergy brought by cooperation with startups is even greater than that with large corporations."
Context Group and CSO presented their business models and explored detailed cooperation plans. Lee Sung-hee, Chairman of Context Group, introduced subsidiaries such as Context, AP Satellite, and TX Space, and reported on their expansion into Central and South America, including the establishment of a ground station in Chile. He said, "We can cooperate through various methods such as establishing joint ventures, conducting joint R&D (research and development), and investment." He added, "If ALCE plays a bridging role with individual countries in Central and South America, we will do our best."
Choi Young-wan, CEO of CSO, also introduced detailed specifications and application areas for the ultra-high-resolution satellite optical camera developed by his company. ALCE's working-level staff continued to ask specific questions focused on actual commercialization, such as "How long does it take from purchase to delivery?" and "Are you interested in technology transfer?" Choi (CEO) responded, "Delivery is possible within 8–12 months, and technology transfer is feasible for products not classified as strategic materials."
Secretary-General Gonzalez stated regarding Context Group's cooperation proposal, "ALCE can play a role especially for Central and South American countries that do not have their own space agencies." He added, "We will also verify and connect local partners." Regarding CSO's products, he expressed strong interest, saying, "If customized development is possible according to detailed requirements of Central and South American countries such as Mexico, we would like to cooperate together."
ALCE expressed its intention to further expand cooperation not only with Context Group and CSO but also with other domestic space startups. Since the space industry in the region is developing primarily around SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and startups, the plan is to increase cooperation opportunities to learn from Korea's success stories.
Secretary-General Gonzalez stated, "Through this meeting, we aim to establish a formal agreement (MOU) relationship with the K-Space Forum and its co-operating institutional investor GDIN to set detailed goals and create concrete collaborative projects." He added, "The agreement will be significantly beneficial for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and startups in ALCE member countries as well."
Kim Jong-gap, CEO of GDIN and a K-Space Forum operating committee member, said, "This is a time when the nurturing of Korea's space industry is being actively promoted, and Central and South America is a highly important region for the space industry." He added, "We will play a role in enabling domestic space startups to expand their businesses into Central and South America by meeting with ALCE."
[MoneyToday startup media platform Unicorn Factory]
in FUTURE
