WalkerInSpace, a space services startup, is investing 13 billion won ($9.4 million) to build its own satellite assembly, integration and testing (AIT) facility in Sejong City. The center will serve as a development hub for robotic satellites designed to refuel and repair other satellites in orbit.
WalkerInSpace held a groundbreaking ceremony for the AIT Space Center at the Public Facilities Complex in Janggun-myeon, Sejong City, on Nov. 10.
The center will be built on a 2,160-square-meter site within the complex, with one basement level and four floors above ground. It will have a building footprint of about 857 square meters and a total floor area of 3,398 square meters. Completion is targeted for August 2027.
The facility will house a cleanroom for assembling and testing medium- and large-sized satellites, a space robotics laboratory, a space environment testing laboratory and a microgravity simulation system. The cleanroom on the first floor will be used to assemble and test medium- and large-sized satellites.
The space robotics laboratory will develop robots for maintaining and repairing space structures. The space environment testing laboratory will use thermal vacuum chambers and vibration testers to verify satellites' ability to withstand space conditions. The microgravity simulation system will support tests of advanced space technologies, including rendezvous, docking and capture operations between satellites.
WalkerInSpace is building the center to secure its own infrastructure for developing, manufacturing and testing medium- and large-sized robotic satellites for on-orbit servicing. Outsourcing production and testing of such satellites is difficult, while transporting equipment and renting facilities can incur substantial costs.
"We are not a company that makes small components or software. We develop medium-sized robotic satellites about the size of a car," CEO Kim Hae-dong said. "Our goal is to serve as a gas station and repair shop in space, refueling or fixing satellites that break down in orbit."
Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, WalkerInSpace is a space services startup developing on-orbit servicing (OOS) technologies. Using multifunctional robotic satellites, the company aims to refuel, repair, replace components and upgrade other satellites in orbit, extending their operational lives and increasing the value of space assets.
The company plans to accelerate development of its first robotic satellite, VEROS-1, using the new center as its base. The satellite is designed to approach and dock with satellites running low on fuel and help maintain their orbits. WalkerInSpace aims to put it through space environment testing in 2028 and launch it in 2029. The company plans to expand its services to include precision repairs and the assembly of space structures.
"VEROS-1 is being developed to remain in orbit for more than seven years after launch and provide life-extension services to government and commercial satellites at home and abroad," Kim said.
Park Seong-su, vice mayor of Sejong City for economic affairs, said using a single robotic satellite to perform various tasks, including refueling and repairs, was a highly creative undertaking. He said he hoped the new center would help turn satellite assembly and research and development into tangible business results.
In a video address, Rep. Kang Jun-hyun of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Sejong B, said the National Assembly would work to help WalkerInSpace grow into a global space industry leader. Independent Rep. Kim Jong-min, who represents Sejong A, said the company's move to Sejong could mark a turning point in the development of the local space industry.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Kim, Park, Sejong City Council Vice Chair Yoo In-ho, council member Lee Soon-yeol, Yoon Bong-jin, an executive at Sejong Urban Transportation Corporation, Oh Deuk-chang, head of the Sejong Center for Creative Economy and Innovation, and Kwak Min-seok, head of corporate support at Sejong Technopark.
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