KairoSpace Co., Ltd

01/09/2026

🛰️ KSOI-90: Turning CubeSats into High-Performance Earth Observation Satellites

KAIROSPACE’s KSOI-90 optical imaging system enables a compact CubeSat to become a capable Earth observation platform, collecting and delivering high-value optical data from space. 🌍✨

CubeSats are often associated with educational, scientific, and technology demonstration missions — gaining spaceflight experience, testing new technologies, and conducting experiments in orbit. 🧪🎓 Only a limited number of companies have moved beyond this role to build operational CubeSat-based services where the value comes from the data delivered from space. 📊🚀

The KSOI-90 is designed to make this transition possible. 💡
With a 2U form factor (approximately 10 × 10 × 20 cm) and a mass of only 1.5 kg, the KSOI-90 provides a 5 m GSD from an altitude of 600 km, with an imaging swath of approximately 52 km and imaging strips extending up to 2,500 km. 📏🛰️

Integrated into a 6U CubeSat equipped with a star tracker and three-axis attitude control system, the KSOI-90 can turn a compact satellite into a fully capable Earth observation spacecraft. 🌐 The system can support panchromatic or multispectral imaging and operate either as an individual satellite or as part of a constellation, delivering commercial-quality Earth observation data for government and private-sector users. 🏢🏛️

KSOI-90 has reached TRL 6, following a comprehensive program of ground testing and calibration, and can be prepared for spacecraft integration and launch within a short timeframe. 🔬✅

KAIROSPACE also offers a complete turnkey satellite solution, combining KSOI-90 with its flight-proven spacecraft platform and in-house-developed star tracker to support high-precision attitude control and imaging. 🤝🚀

🔗 Explore full technical specifications and request a datasheet:
https://www.kairo.space/products/ksoi-90-optical-imager

#우주산업 #인공위성 #대한민국우주

27/08/2026

🚀 Sharper Images on the Way Down: KSAT3U captures Busan area in 15m resolution while executing a safe orbital reentry!
🛡️ 3 years of operational lifetime, flight-proven optics, and a working passive deorbit system.

KAIROSPACE’s small satellite KSAT3U has captured a new image of South Korea, showing the Busan New Port area, Gadeokdo Island, and part of South Gyeongsang Province. KSAT3U continues to operate successfully in orbit more than three years after launch.

KSAT3U is a 3U CubeSat technology demonstration satellite developed entirely by the team at South Korean space company KAIROSPACE and launched aboard the Nuri (KSLV-II) launch vehicle in May 2023. During its first year of operation, it captured the first image of South Korea taken by a South Korean CubeSat-class spacecraft. Its 22 mm focal-length polarimetric camera, also developed by KAIROSPACE, achieved a ground resolution of approximately 30 meters from an altitude of 550 km.

The KSAT3U camera builds on the optical technology developed for the PolCam instrument, which continues to operate successfully in lunar orbit aboard South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft. Drawing on this flight-proven experience, the KAIROSPACE team is now developing new space imaging systems with 90 mm and 300 mm aperture optics for future missions.

As KSAT3U’s orbit has gradually decreased, its 22 mm focal-length camera has been able to achieve a ground resolution of approximately 15 meters in the new image. Coastlines, rivers and canals, roads, and large elements of port infrastructure can now be distinguished in greater detail.

But the significance of the new image goes beyond its improved resolution. It confirms that, more than three years after launch, KAIROSPACE’s satellite platform and optical system continue to operate successfully in orbit.

The decrease in altitude is also part of a successful technology demonstration. After its first year in space, KSAT3U deployed DORB, a passive deorbit system developed by KAIROSPACE. Other satellites launched alongside KSAT3U now remain approximately 80–150 km higher in orbit.

Within the next several months, KSAT3U is expected to complete its mission by reentering Earth’s atmosphere and burning up like a “shooting star.” Until then, KAIROSPACE will continue monitoring the spacecraft’s status and orbital position.

#카이로스페이스 #인공위성 #우주항공 #누리호

25/08/2026

🚀 Solving Space Debris in Orbit: KAIROSPACE double-speeds satellite decay with a 0.25U Origami System!

🛰️ 3+ years in space, 180 km descended — real on-orbit proof of a zero-debris future for CubeSats.

South Korean space company KAIROSPACE has successfully demonstrated the operation of its passive deorbit system (DORB) for small satellites. After activation aboard the KSAT3U spacecraft, the satellite’s orbital decay rate approximately doubled, while the spacecraft continues to operate successfully in orbit.

🛡️ The system is designed to accelerate the removal of satellites from low Earth orbit after mission completion or in the event of a malfunction. Acting as a passive braking mechanism, it increases aerodynamic drag and accelerates natural orbital decay. The system architecture ensures activation even during a complete spacecraft malfunction.

🇰🇷 About the Mission & Spacecraft
KSAT3U is a technology demonstration satellite developed entirely by the KAIROSPACE team and launched aboard South Korea’s Nuri (KSLV-II) launch vehicle in May 2023. The 3U CubeSat has remained operational throughout more than three years of on-orbit testing.

📉 Flight & Orbital Decay Performance
Initially inserted at ~550 km altitude, KSAT3U lost only 30 km during its first year (descending to 519 km). Following DORB deployment, orbital decay accelerated substantially:

Lost ~80 km during its second year

Lost ~100 km during its third year

📊 The seven other satellites deployed together with KSAT3U remain at altitudes 45 to 100 km higher, experiencing significantly slower natural decay.

📡 Trackable via the NORAD catalog (ID: 56746), KSAT3U is expected to complete its mission within the next six months, reentering Earth’s atmosphere and burning up safely.

🛠️ About the Deorbit System
Occupying only 0.25U when stowed, the DORB device consists of an inflatable structure made from metallized polymer film. Activated by a compact chemical gas reaction, it uses origami-inspired folding to efficiently package a large surface area, increasing drag and shortening spacecraft lifetime.

#카이로스페이스 #인공위성 #우주항공 #누리호

24/08/2026

KAIROSPACE Wins the 2026 Korea Good Company Award 🏆

KAIROSPACE has been selected by South Korean business media outlet Money Today as a recipient of the 2026 Korea Good Company Award, receiving the Good-R&D Award in the category of Small Satellite Technology Independence.

The Korea Good Company Awards are organized annually by Money Today to recognize South Korean companies for achievements in technology development, innovation, products, services, and business growth. The 2026 ceremony marks the 12th edition of the awards.

KAIROSPACE was selected for its work in developing and bringing into operation a broad range of small-satellite technologies in South Korea. Since its founding in 2019, the company has developed CubeSat platforms and deployers, spacecraft avionics, star trackers, optical systems and cameras, biological experiment systems, and other technologies for small spacecraft.
Many of these developments have already gained flight heritage.

KAIROSPACE CubeSat deployers have successfully deployed more than 20 satellites during three launches of South Korea’s Nuri (KSLV-II) launch vehicle. The company’s KSAT3U technology demonstration satellite has operated in orbit since 2023, successfully testing its imaging payload and passive deorbit system. KAIROSPACE-developed optical hardware is operating in lunar orbit aboard South Korea’s Danuri mission, while technical subsystems developed by the company support the BioCabinet experiment aboard the CAS500-3 satellite.

For KAIROSPACE, the Good-R&D Award recognizes not only individual products, but years of work to develop, manufacture, test, launch, and operate space technologies in South Korea.
We thank Money Today for recognizing the work of our team and everyone who has contributed to these projects and missions.

📸 [Photo: KAIROSPACE CEO Chris Sheen (left) receiving the 2026 Korea Good Company Award.]


#카이로스페이스 #우주산업

04/08/2026

🚀 KAIROSPACE Participates in KASA–NASA Building Moon Base Workshop 🌕

KAIROSPACE recently participated in the Building Moon Base workshop, jointly organized by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and NASA, bringing together representatives of government agencies, research institutes, industry, and private space companies from South Korea and the United States. 🤝

NASA presented its long-term vision for establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon through international cooperation. 📡 The roadmap begins with robotic infrastructure, including communications, power systems, environmental monitoring, and scientific payloads, before expanding to crewed habitats and transportation systems. 👨‍🚀 As part of its international lunar exploration efforts, NASA is expanding cooperation with partners around the world. Building on the existing collaboration in lunar exploration, the agency is now exploring new opportunities for South Korea to contribute to future lunar infrastructure.

During the workshop, NASA representatives outlined opportunities for South Korean organizations to contribute to future lunar infrastructure and highlighted the country's growing capabilities in spacecraft development, advanced manufacturing, and space technologies. 🛠️

KAIROSPACE is well positioned to contribute to these future lunar missions. 🛰️ The company is already involved in several lunar exploration programs in cooperation with KASI and international partners. The Korean lunar orbiter Danuri carries the PolCam imaging system, whose optical components were developed by the KAIROSPACE team. 📸 The company is also developing the optical assemblies for LevCam, this camera for a future American lunar rover. In addition, KAIROSPACE star trackers have been selected for Astrolab's FLIP lunar rover, currently under development as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. 🤖

NASA was represented at the workshop by Carlos Garcia-Galan, Moon Base Program Manager. During the event, KAIROSPACE CEO Chris Gyungwoo Sheen held a short unofficial meeting with Garcia-Galan to present the company's capabilities and discuss potential areas of future cooperation. 💼

KAIROSPACE is committed to advancing technologies that expand humanity's presence beyond Earth, enable planetary exploration, and support deep-space missions. 🌌 Participation in the Building Moon Base initiative provides an opportunity to contribute this expertise to the next generation of lunar exploration. The company is already preparing concepts and technologies that could support future missions to the Moon. ✨

🎬 Watch the official event recording:
youtube.com/live/JlfMNfU7zTI?si=UiOMWTzzoHHc2lUE
🎬 전체 행사 녹화 영상 보기:
youtube.com/live/JlfMNfU7zTI?si=UiOMWTzzoHHc2lUE

#우주항공청 #카이로스페이스

30/07/2026

30/07/2026

Fuel Tank Qualification Marks Another Milestone for Space Trajectory Demonstrator 1.0 🚀

A major milestone has been achieved in the development of the Space Trajectory Demonstrator 1.0 (STD 1.0) mission! 🛰️ The high-pressure xenon propellant tank for the spacecraft's electric propulsion system has successfully completed high pressure qualification testing, demonstrating a substantial safety margin for flight. ✅

Developed by KAIROSPACE under contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), STD 1.0 will demonstrate orbit raising from a 550 km low Earth orbit to geosynchronous altitude using electric propulsion before continuing toward a planned flyby of asteroid 99942 Apophis in 2029. ☄️

The spacecraft is based on KAIROSPACE's Deep Space Platform, a microsatellite-class architecture designed for affordable deep-space missions launched as secondary payloads. 🌌 The program aims to demonstrate technologies required for future interplanetary spacecraft capable of significant orbit changes, long-duration operations beyond Earth's radiation belts, and high-rate communications over long distances — all within the cost and schedule of a small satellite mission.

⚡ A key element of the mission is the Hall effect electric propulsion system developed by Singapore-based Aliena. The propulsion system will use four MUSIC Hall effect thrusters and approximately 31 kg of xenon propellant to generate a total delta-v exceeding 4.5 km/s, enabling the spacecraft to reach geosynchronous altitude and intercept Apophis during its historic close approach to Earth.

⛽ The xenon propellant is stored in a high-pressure titanium tank operating at approximately 145 bar. During qualification testing, the tank successfully withstood pressures twice its nominal operating pressure, confirming a robust structural safety margin.

🤝 Representatives of KAIROSPACE recently visited Aliena's headquarters and production facilities in Singapore to review the test results and discuss the latest progress in propulsion system development. Regular technical reviews between the two companies help ensure the successful integration of one of the mission's most critical subsystems.

🌐 During the visit, the KAIROSPACE team also met with representatives of Space Faculty, a Singaporean organization dedicated to space education, STEM outreach, and workforce development. The two organizations exchanged views on future collaboration, while Space Faculty expressed interest in several KAIROSPACE technologies, including CubeSat imaging systems and satellite deorbit solutions. 🎙️ An interview with the Space Faculty team will be published on our channels in the near future.



#우주산업 #우주기술 #우주탐사 #카이로스페이스 #한국항공우주연구원 #인공위성 #초소형위성

01/07/2026

KAIROSPACE Unveils South Korea's Future Apophis Spacecraft 🚀

This week at the 2026 KSAS Aerospace Conference and Exhibition in Busan, KAIROSPACE Co., Ltd. presented for the first time the full-scale engineering model of STD 1.0 (Space Trajectory Demonstrator) — a spacecraft being developed for South Korea's future mission to asteroid 99942 Apophis. 🇰🇷

STD 1.0 is being developed by KAIROSPACE under contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). The spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard the sixth flight of the KSLV-II (Nuri) launch vehicle in 2027 and is expected to reach Apophis in 2029. 🛰️

One of the key goals of the mission is to demonstrate that a relatively small and low-cost spacecraft, launched as a secondary payload, can perform major orbital maneuvers and reach deep space. Following launch into a low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 km, STD 1.0 will use electric propulsion to gradually raise its orbit to geosynchronous altitude and beyond. ⚙️

The full-scale engineering model displayed in Busan is not intended for flight, but will be used for integration, qualification, and ground testing activities. The flight spacecraft will be built after completion of the current verification campaign. 🔍

The target of the mission, asteroid Apophis, will make an exceptionally close approach to Earth in 2029, passing at a distance of approximately 36,000 km. This rare event has attracted worldwide scientific interest, including the planned ESA RAMSES mission. During its encounter, STD 1.0 will attempt to observe both the asteroid and the RAMSES spacecraft. 🌌

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Seongnam, near Seoul, KAIROSPACE Co., Ltd. develops CubeSat and microsatellite platforms, spacecraft subsystems, deployers, and scientific payloads for Earth orbit, lunar, and deep-space missions. 🏢

#카이로스페이스 #우주항공청 #누리호 #우주선

24/06/2026

A Major Space Reveal in Busan 🚀✨

🛰️On June 25 at 12:00 PM, Kairospace will unveil for the first time the design of South Korea's future deep-space spacecraft being developed under a KARI program to reach asteroid Apophis.

📍🏢 The presentation will take place during the Aerospace Conference of The Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences (KSAS) at Paradise Hotel Busan.

Visitors to the Kairospace booth ( #13, 2nd floor) will have an opportunity to see a full-scale engineering model of the STD 1.0 spacecraft. While this model is not intended for flight, it accurately represents the configuration of the spacecraft currently under development and will be used for upcoming integration and qualification testing.

Kairospace is developing the STD 1.0 spacecraft under contract with KARI to demonstrate advanced orbit-raising technologies for small spacecraft. The mission is designed to prove the capability of a compact spacecraft to travel from low Earth orbit to high Earth orbit, enter deep space, and ultimately conduct a scientific investigation of asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft is planned for launch in 2027, with arrival at Apophis targeted for 2029. ☄️

Visit Booth #13 at Paradise Hotel to see the model up close, learn more about the mission, and meet the engineers and specialists behind the project. 🤝

We look forward to seeing you in Busan.👋🇰🇷

#심우주탐사 #우주항공청 #카이로스페이스 #항우연

24/06/2026

Kairospace Crew Reports from ISS 2026 🚀

The International Space Summit 2026 in Daejeon brought together representatives of space agencies, aerospace corporations, private companies, startups, and investors from around the world.

As South Korea's space sector continues to grow, the country is attracting increasing interest from international organizations seeking technology partnerships and access to Asian markets. The summit provided an opportunity to discuss future cooperation and explore new business opportunities across the global space industry.

🤝 During the event, the Kairospace team held a series of meetings with organizations from Europe, North America, Asia, and South Korea. Discussions covered Earth observation, optical payloads, spacecraft platforms, space sustainability, and future deep-space missions.

For Kairospace, events such as ISS 2026 are an opportunity to strengthen international partnerships and demonstrate the capabilities of South Korean space technology on the global stage.

📍Our next destination is Busan, where Kairospace will participate in the Aerospace Conference of The Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, taking place at Paradise Hotel Busan from June 24–26.

🛰️ Visit us at Booth #13 on the second floor to learn more about our CubeSat deployers, satellite platforms, optical payloads, and deep-space technologies.

See you in Busan.

​ #우주산업 #항공우주 #인공위성