Hanwha Systems, a South Korean corporation that last year introduced a bankrupt phased-array antenna producer to its increasing portfolio, intends to develop and launch a network of 2,000 satellites in the low Earth orbit by the year 2030 to offer access to urban cargo-delivery drones as well as passenger planes.
To that effect, Hanwha Group’s defense and information technology division will spend $440 million (500 billion South Korean won) on the ultrathin electronically steerable antennas, LEO communications satellites, and satellite control systems by the year 2023. This proposal was announced on March 29 alongside a pledge to collect 1.2 trillion won by selling the new stock for “preemptive spending” in the firm’s potential enterprises
During an online briefing, Choi Jae-woo, who serves as the senior executive accountable for Hanwha’s satellite communications company, stated, “The global rivalry is heating up over the LEO satellite-centred communications industry, which has tremendous growth potential.” “We will aim to be one of the top players in the industry with sufficient technologies and experience focused on 20 years of involvement in the military communications industry.”
Hanwha plans to expand in the following fields as part of its growth strategy:
• 190 billion won for “communications infrastructure growth and satellite deployment.”
• 120 billion won for “technical assets needed for the launch of satellite communications services.”
• 110 billion won will be invested in “constructing industrial facilities.”
• An investment of 80 billion won in “satellite networking systems.”
Choi announced that trial services would begin in the year 2023, following the launch of the first set of satellites. As per the executive, daily facilities will be accessible in 2025, with a target of 5 trillion won in annual revenue by 2030. “Communications may be confined to land and sea between 2023 to 2025. In 2025-2030, it will be extended to cover airplanes as well as Urban Air Mobility, as well as 6G internet by the year 2030,” he added.
Although international launch vehicles would be used to bring Hanwha’s satellites into space, the firm’s satellites, antennas, as well as supporting structures will be built solely with internal capital, according to a Hanwha spokesperson.
Antennas for a phased array
Hanwha Phasor, Choi stated, would be a leader in creating ultrathin electronically steerable antennas which allow high-speed communications in flight, at sea, or on the ground. Hanwha Phasor was established when Hanwha purchased British antenna manufacturer Phasor Solutions out of bankruptcy in June 2020. According to Hanwha, Phasor’s patented innovations involve flat-antenna-beam steering as well as semiconductor chip-design technology, both of which are necessary for transmission and reception.
Another Hanwha partner, Satrec Initiative (SI), is supposed to play a key role in the project. In January, SI, which Hanwha Aerospace purchased, built South Korea’s initial satellite, KITSAT-1, which debuted in 1992. Tiny to medium-sized Earth-observation spacecraft, land structures, and electro-optical payloads are all feasible with the company’s key technologies.
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