Project valued at KRW 6.7 billion, including KRW 5.0 billion in government funding, with development targeted for completion by 2030.
Demonstration satellite will autonomously execute target recognition, proximity trajectory planning, and orbital control.

SEOUL, South Korea — September 22, 2026

Nara Space Technology Inc. (“Nara Space”) today announced it has been selected as the lead research and development organization for an autonomous proximity operations technology project under the “Defense Innovation Company Proposal-based Support Program.” Nara Space signed a formal agreement on September 21 with the program's managing agency, the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT).

Through this contract, Nara Space will develop on-board autonomous proximity operations technology that allows satellites to process space object recognition, proximity trajectory calculations, and orbital control internally.

The “Defense Innovation Company Proposal-based Support Program” allows designated “Defense Innovation Company 100” companies to propose national defense applications for their proprietary technologies. These proposals are then selected and funded as research and development projects by KRIT. The project will run for 52 months, spanning September 2026–December 2030. The total project value is KRW 6.7 billion, comprising KRW 5.0 billion in government grants and approximately KRW 1.7 billion in private investment.

Communication, navigation, and reconnaissance satellites are vital national security assets. However, because most existing systems are optimized strictly for their primary missions, they have a limited ability to autonomously assess situations and maneuver when approached by nearby space objects. In addition, the standard procedure of transmitting data to ground stations for analysis and waiting for command relays inherently causes critical operational delays.

By processing target recognition, trajectory planning, and orbital control internally, the project aims to significantly reduce decision latency. Nara Space will manage the full lifecycle of the demonstration microsatellite, spanning design, manufacturing, launch, orbital operation, and technical validation.

The satellite will use an on-board camera to assess the target's position and attitude to autonomously calculate collision-free paths to either rendezvous with or maintain a safe distance from the target. The objective is to replace step-by-step ground control with full on-board autonomy for mission-critical decisions and orbital maneuvers.

The validation phase specifically targets a “non-cooperative space object,” which does not share location or attitude data in advance. Differentiating itself from past demonstrations that used ground tests or pre-coordinated cooperative satellites, this project enables an independently operated satellite to identify and track uncooperative targets autonomously.

Operating in orbit involves overcoming volatile lighting, intermittent communications, and highly unpredictable target movements. Achieving safe, autonomous maneuvers using constrained data sets represents a significant technological barrier in the sector. Through this project, Nara Space aims to secure world-class capabilities in autonomous in-orbit proximity operations.

“Because space-based threats evolve rapidly while waiting for ground commands, response speed is paramount,” noted Jungkyu Lee, CCO of Nara Space. “This project addresses that challenge by enabling the satellite to independently assess its surroundings and determine the necessary maneuvers, drastically accelerating the decision-making loop.”

IR

2026.09.22Nara Space Wins ₩6.7B Defense Contract for Microsatellite Autonomous Proximity Operations Technology