Hanwha Aerospace opens Suncheon plant to assemble Nuri-ho 6 for 2027 launch

Hanwha Aerospace opens Suncheon plant; completed stages to be shipped by sea to Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun

Hanwha Aerospace, South Korea's leading aerospace and defense company, officially opened its Suncheon plant at the Yulchon Industrial Complex on Wednesday, marking the start of full-scale assembly and production of space launch vehicles.

About 300 guests attended the completion ceremony, including Min Hyeong-bae, mayor of the proposed South Jeolla-Gwangju integrated special city; National Assembly member Hwang Jeong-a (Daejeon Yuseong-eul), a physics doctorate from KAIST; Korea AeroSpace Administration Deputy Administrator Kwon Hyeon-jun; Suncheon Mayor Son Hun-mo; Suncheon City Council Speaker Yu Yeong-cheol; and Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone Authority head Gu Chung-gon.

The completion of the Suncheon plant is significant because it establishes a production base in South Jeolla Province to support the stable manufacture and assembly of the homegrown Nuri-ho launch vehicle and to advance next-generation launch vehicle technology development.

The opening also gives concrete shape to a cooperative structure — built on space development capabilities accumulated by the government and public research institutions — in which launch vehicles are manufactured in Suncheon, transported by ship to Goheung-gun, and launched into space. That arrangement is expected to solidify a space industry ecosystem centered on the southern coast.

At the Suncheon plant, individual stages of Nuri-ho 6, scheduled for launch next year, will be assembled and then shipped by sea to Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, where they will be integrated into a single launch vehicle before final launch preparations begin.

The Suncheon plant is expected to grow into a key hub for boosting South Korea's space industry production capacity, handling stage assembly for the Nuri-ho launch vehicle and supporting next-generation launch vehicle technology development.

Southern coastal cities — including Goheung-gun, Yeosu, Gwangyang, Jinju, Sacheon and Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province — are also expected to leverage their respective industrial strengths to collaborate closely and form a new growth axis for South Korea's aerospace industry.

Hanwha Aerospace has ambitious plans for the Suncheon site as its space business hub: the company aims to develop its own launch vehicle by 2029 to enter the global space transportation market, and to begin commercial launch services using a next-generation launch vehicle by 2033.

Kim Seon, executive vice president for space business at Hanwha Aerospace, said the Suncheon plant is "core infrastructure for South Korea's leap into a privately led New Space era," adding that the company would "work together with domestic space companies to strengthen technological competitiveness and build a foundation for South Korea's space industry to compete in the global market."

Suncheon city said it plans to seek ways to support stable business operations at the plant and to ensure that the growth of space industry companies translates into stronger technological competitiveness for local firms and quality jobs for young people.

Mayor Son said the city would "actively support business activities so that the completion of Hanwha Aerospace's Suncheon plant leads to stronger competitiveness for local companies and the creation of high-quality jobs."