JINJU — South Gyeongsang Province said on the 15th that it will hold the 2026 International Space Industry Conference on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Chilam campus of Gyeongsang National University in Jinju. About 300 officials from industry, academia, research institutes and government in the domestic and overseas space sector will attend to discuss microsatellites, next-generation launch vehicles and space resource development.
The conference is co-hosted by South Gyeongsang Province, the city of Jinju and the city of Sacheon, and organized by the Korea Space Technology Promotion Association and Gyeongnam Technopark. First held in 2016, this is the 11th edition. The venue is the 100th Anniversary Memorial Hall on the Chilam campus.
This year's theme is "Microsatellite Innovation and Global Partnership, New Space Business and a Sustainable Space Economy." The program covers technology trends and international cooperation in satellite communications, the use of space data, next-generation launch vehicles, and space exploration and resource development.
The first day opens with a keynote address by John Lee of the United States. That is followed by a session on space policy and global cooperation featuring Sam Hwang, counselor at the Australian Embassy; Damien Pereira, head of the Quebec government office in Korea; and Nicolette Yeo, general manager at Singapore-based SST.
Hanwha Aerospace, India's Astrobase and Hyundai Rotem are among the domestic and foreign companies that will share their strategies for commercializing private space launch vehicles, trends in India's next-generation space launch industry, and progress on methane engines for reusable rockets.
On the second day, a session on space communications and data use will feature France's Thales Alenia Space, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and ICEYE Korea. That will be followed by a session on space exploration and resource extraction with Luxembourg's European Space Resources Innovation Centre, OffWorld of the United States and Space Manic of the Czech Republic.
This year the organizers have introduced an artificial intelligence-based real-time simultaneous interpretation system to help participants communicate. The event will be streamed live on South Gyeongsang Province's official YouTube channel. Promotional booths for provincial space companies, including KAI, Kencoa Aerospace and Mecha T&S, will be set up in the lobby of the venue.
"We hope this conference will serve as an opportunity to share the latest technologies and policies in the domestic and international space industry and to strengthen global cooperation networks," said Lee Dong-hoon, director of the province's space and aviation industry division. "We will continue to support international cooperation and expanded business opportunities for space companies in the province."
The conference is open to anyone interested in the space industry. Those unable to attend in person can watch on the province's official YouTube channel.