Recognized for achievements in strengthening the competitiveness of space companies through the Daejeon SAT Project, Regulatory Sandbox, etc.
Proves its status as a representative space industry cluster leading the space power
Daejeon City has been honored with the first-ever award in the Space Industry Leading City category at the ‘2025 National Industry Awards.’ This category was newly established this year, and Daejeon received high praise for its status as a leading city in the domestic space industry and its differentiated policy promotion achievements.
The ‘National Industry Awards,’ hosted by the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies (IPS), selects and awards companies, institutions, and brands that have contributed to national industrial development through creative and outstanding management activities. It also serves as a platform for awardees to share strategies and visions.
In the ‘Space Industry Leading City’ category, Daejeon City was recognized for its policy promotion capabilities based on industry-academia-research collaboration and the tangible results of establishing a space cluster. In particular, its diverse efforts to realize a space economy centered on research and talent development were highly evaluated.
One of the core projects, the ‘Space Technology Innovation Talent Development Center,’ is scheduled to be established at KAIST by 2028 and will serve as a platform for systematically nurturing global research talent.
Furthermore, in February, the Gyochon-dong area of Daejeon was designated as the first National Regional Strategic Industrial Complex, laying the groundwork for creating a local space industry ecosystem. Based on this, the city is pursuing five major strategies and a total of 20 tasks, including ▲developing future space technologies ▲strengthening the competitiveness of space companies ▲fostering space innovation talent ▲expanding the Daejeon-style space ecosystem ▲creating a growth base for space companies.
Achievements in private sector-led technology development are also noteworthy. The ‘Daejeon SAT Project’ is a collaborative effort by five Daejeon-based space companies to develop CubeSats, aiming to demonstrate components developed by local companies using their own technology in actual space. This project is expected to enhance the technological capabilities of Daejeon companies and serve as a bridgehead for entering the global space market. Daejeon SAT was selected as the first satellite to be launched by a local government on the Nuri rocket in February of this year and is closely cooperating with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) with the goal of launching in 2026.
Meanwhile, the designation of the ‘Aerospace Regulatory Sandbox,’ led by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is also on track. After being selected as a candidate zone in September of last year, Daejeon is awaiting final designation this year. By 2029, the city plans to establish technical standards and a certification system for space propulsion components, thereby promoting the market entry of related companies and leading to the creation of high added value.
Daejeon City plans to further integrate the advanced technologies of Daedeok Innopolis with the space industry, expanding its reach into next-generation industries such as space communication, space mobility, space semiconductors, and space medicine. The city aims to leap forward as a leading space industry hub representing South Korea.
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