NARA Space Technology Develops Autonomous Proximity Operations Technology for Microsatellites

[Financial News] NARA Space Technology said on the 22nd that it had been selected as the lead research and development institution for a project to develop autonomous proximity operations technology under the “Defense Innovation Company Proposal-Based Support Program” conducted by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT).
On the 21st, NARA Space Technology signed an agreement with KRIT to develop autonomous proximity operations technology that processes the identification of space objects, approach-path calculations and orbital control onboard a satellite. Under the “Defense Innovation Company Proposal-Based Support Program,” companies selected for the “Defense Innovation Company 100” propose ways to apply their technologies to national defense, after which KRIT selects and supports them as research and development projects. This project will run for a total of 52 months, from September 2026 through December 2030. It will have a total budget of KRW 6.7 billion, comprising KRW 5 billion in government funding and approximately KRW 1.7 billion in private-sector contributions.
The project’s key objective is to reduce decision-making time by processing everything from space-object recognition and approach-path calculations to orbital control onboard the satellite. NARA Space Technology will design and manufacture a microsatellite to validate the autonomous proximity operations technology and oversee its launch, orbital operations and technology verification.
The satellite under development will use an onboard camera to determine the position and attitude of a nearby space object. It will then calculate a collision-free path to approach the target or maintain a set distance. The goal is to move beyond a system in which ground operators issue commands at each stage, enabling the satellite to autonomously make the judgments and perform the controls required for its mission.
The verification target is a “non-cooperative space object” that does not share information such as its position and attitude in advance. Existing proximity operations demonstrations have primarily involved ground-based tests or cooperative satellites whose missions were coordinated beforehand. NARA Space Technology explained that this project differs in that an independently operated satellite will directly identify and track a non-cooperative target. In space, lighting and communications conditions are constantly changing, while the movements of the other object are difficult to predict accurately. The technology is highly challenging because the satellite must determine the target’s state using limited information and maneuver safely. Through this project, NARA Space Technology aims to secure world-class autonomous proximity operations technology in orbit.
Jungkyu Lee, business director at NARA Space Technology, said, "Because hazards arising in space continue to change even while ground operators are making decisions and issuing commands, response speed is important." He added, "The key to this project is reducing decision-making time by enabling satellites to recognize their surroundings independently and determine the movements they need to make."

[email protected] Yeon Ji-an Reporter