Korea's No. 1 airline teams up with French space firm Exotrail to develop orbital transfer vehicle

Representatives from Korean Air and Exotrail pose for a photo after signing a memorandum of understanding to co-develop an orbital transfer vehicle in Seoul on Friday. (Korean Air)
Representatives from Korean Air and Exotrail pose for a photo after signing a memorandum of understanding to co-develop an orbital transfer vehicle in Seoul on Friday. (Korean Air)

Korean Air has joined hands with French space firm Exotrail to cooperate in developing an orbital transfer vehicle amid increasing demand for small satellite launches, the company said Friday.

According to the two companies’ memorandum of understanding, they agreed to work closely together on high-value-added space services such as low-Earth orbit satellite transportation, payload hosting, multiorbit satellite deployment, satellite life extension and fuel supply.

Korean Air and Exotrail plan to set up a joint working group to discuss specifics such as detailed launch plans and the optimization of cost structures for orbital transport.

An orbital transfer vehicle, or OTV, is intended to carry satellites released from a launch vehicle to their precise target orbit, and is regarded as the last-mile delivery solution in space logistics. OTVs can also provide a range of in-orbit services such as orbital adjustments and mission support, making them a critical component of the future space industry.

The partnership between Korean Air and Exotrail came as global demand for launching small satellites ramps up, driving the need for more efficient multiorbit deployment solutions.

As Korean Air already has mission control systems for OTV satellite services as well as technologies to manage various space systems, the Korean flag carrier said it will look to win commercial satellite contracts from the private sector and for the defense sector’s mini-satellite constellation based on this French partnership and expand its space transportation business in the future.

“By combining Exotrail’s proven space heritage and Korean Air’s aerospace and space system capabilities, we will secure dominant technological advantages in the future defense and new space markets,” said a Korean Air official.


hwkan@heraldcorp.com