Key points
- Hanwha begins assembling a reusable-rocket test vehicle
- The first flight tests are set for 2028
- A Kosdaq-listed company is making the engine
Hanwha Aerospace (한화에어로스페이스, 012450) has begun assembling a small rocket designed to test vertical takeoff and landing, part of Korea's effort to develop a reusable first stage for its next-generation rocket. Hanwha and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (한국항공우주연구원), or KARI, announced the start on September 30, Seoul Finance (서울파이낸스) reported.
Hanwha is assembling the vehicle at its Suncheon plant. It stands 12.2 meters tall, is 1.5 meters wide, and weighs 6.4 tons.
KARI leads the research, while Hanwha brings the vehicle's systems together. Vitzro Nextech (비츠로넥스텍, 488900), a Kosdaq-listed rocket engine parts maker, is building the engine. Hanyang ENG (한양이엔지, 045100) is building the ground facilities.
What the flights will test
The vehicle is scheduled for two low-altitude flights at the Naro Space Center in Goheung in 2028, after ground firing tests. Each flight aims to reach 500 meters and return to a designated landing spot in about 90 seconds, EBN reported.
It will use a single 8-ton-class staged-combustion engine, a smaller engine than the 80-ton-class version planned for Korea's next-generation rocket. The test vehicle's job is to demonstrate the controls needed for takeoff and landing. The flights will test how it adjusts thrust, keeps its orientation, and guides itself to the landing spot.
Before then, the partners plan to finish combustion tests on a development engine and build the main components by the end of this year. In 2027, they plan to test-fire two flight-model engines and complete assembly and testing of the first vehicle, Seoul Finance reported.
Why reuse matters
Most rockets are thrown away after one launch. SpaceX recovers the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket and flies it again, which has lowered its launch costs. Hanwha plans to use what the company learns from the test vehicle to reuse the first stage of Korea's next-generation rocket, which is planned for the mid-2030s.
"Securing rocket reuse technology is an essential task for us to grow into a Korean SpaceX," a Hanwha Aerospace official said, according to The Elec (디일렉).
"We'll carry out this research with KARI and our partners and contribute to Korea's space transport capability and the growth of the private space industry," the official added.
The engine maker
Vitzro Nextech was split off from Vitzro Tech (비츠로테크) in 2016. The company made combustors, heat exchangers, cryogenic flexible pipes, and gas generators for all three stages of the engines on Nuri (누리호), the rocket Korea developed itself, The Elec reported when the company applied to list. The company was also set to supply engine parts for the fourth through sixth Nuri launches, the report said. It also makes parts for fusion research reactors and particle accelerators.
Vitzro Nextech listed on the Kosdaq in November 2025 at 6,900 won a share. The stock closed at 10,450 won ($7.71) on Wednesday, down 0.6 percent. That's 51 percent above the IPO price but 65 percent below its closing high of 29,900 won ($22.07) on January 30, by our arithmetic. The company is worth about 303 billion won ($224M).
Hanwha Aerospace closed down 1.1 percent at 1,009,000 won ($745), while Hanyang ENG fell 0.6 percent.
The Hanwha Aerospace official's comments are translated from Korean. Won figures are converted at 1,355 won to the dollar, the Yahoo Finance rate on September 30, 2026.
