Artist illustration of Gilmour Space’s new hypersonic flight test service (File photo captured from Gilmour Space’s website)
South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace Co. joined hands with Australian startup Gilmour Space Technologies for the space business, expanding cooperation between the two countries.
Hanwha, South Korea’s answer to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, said on Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Gilmour to collaborate for the space business at the Land Forces 2024 International Land Defence Exposition in Melbourne.
Hanwha and Gilmour agreed to seek measures for the use of rocket launch sites in Australia, promote cooperation in the space industry between the two countries, develop new space businesses and others.
The South Korean company expected the two firms to cooperate in various areas as Australia has space infrastructures including rocket launch sites while demand for satellite images in the country is strong to deal with natural disasters such as forest fires.
“We aim to strengthen the partnership in the space industry between the two countries based on trusts established through exports of the K9 howitzers and the Redback infantry fighting vehicles,” said a Hanwha official.
Hanwha won a $2.4 billion deal to supply the armored vehicles to Australia in December 2023 and inked a $788 million contract to provide the K9 self-propelled howitzers to the country in December 2021.
By Hyeon-woo Oh
ohw@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.
