Hanwha Bets 55 Trillion Won on Rockets, Satellites and Orbital AI

Hanwha Group plans to invest 55 trillion won (about $36 billion) through 2040 in rockets, satellites, and an “orbital AI” data center, tying the effort to South Korea’s space sovereignty goals. The program was unveiled Friday by Kim Dong-kwan, Hanwha’s vice chairman, at a government-hosted briefing in Jinju in the Yeongnam region. Investments will be shared by affiliates Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems, covering launch infrastructure and a satellite and communications network. Hanwha Aerospace is set to spend about 23 trillion won on launch vehicle assembly and test facilities, while Hanwha Systems plans around 20 trillion won on very-low-Earth-orbit SAR satellites, a space-based AI data center, and a low-Earth-orbit communications network. The architecture targets an observation constellation near 350 km, an AI processing layer near 400 km, and communications near 900 km. The company aims to operate 64 radar satellites by 2031 and begin with a 192-satellite communications constellation, expanding coverage over time.