Korea's electrical research institute moves to localize key lunar rover components

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute has launched an effort to domestically develop key drive components for lunar exploration rovers — parts that have until now been entirely imported.

A research team led by Lee Ji-young of KERI's aerospace mobility propulsion research team announced Monday that it is working with space robotics startup Unmanned Exploration Lab to demonstrate a rover drive control board in orbit during the fifth Nuri rocket launch.

The demonstration marks the first phase of a project to independently develop a powertrain capable of propelling a 25-kilogram rover at 4 kilometers per hour and climbing 10-degree inclines on the lunar surface, where temperatures can reach 125 degrees Celsius.

South Korea currently relies entirely on foreign parts from a handful of global suppliers for the "space-grade actuators" that power its satellites and spacecraft. That dependency makes it difficult to identify the cause of component defects or specification discrepancies. In practice, the research team spent five months on precision analysis before discovering that the output characteristics of an existing foreign-made actuator differed from its specifications — ultimately compelling the overseas manufacturer to acknowledge a design error.

In the upcoming Nuri demonstration, the team will place a control board containing motor drive algorithms into orbit to accumulate operational data. Establishing a "space heritage" — a verified record of in-flight performance — is essential in the space industry, where launch failures carry enormous risk and cost.

Starting with the control board demonstration, the team plans to conduct ground chamber tests and then develop motor and inverter prototypes in stages. The technology will then be transferred to a domestic manufacturer, with the goal of installing a domestically made motor aboard a government lunar probe by 2032. The research phase runs through 2030.

"In the space industry, you simply cannot enter the market without a verified flight record," Lee said. "Using this control board demonstration as a springboard, we will make sure our homegrown drive system reaches the surface of the moon by 2032."