[Edaily Reporter SOYEON KIM ] LG Corp. announced on the 6th that it will conduct a technology demonstration in the extreme conditions of space aboard the fifth Nuri rocket, scheduled for launch on the 7th, carrying components from major affiliates such as battery packs from LG Energy Solution and camera modules from LG Innotek. This marks the first time LG affiliates have jointly conducted a technology demonstration in space.

LG Science Park will load five types of components from LG Corp. onto a CubeSat (secondary payload) prepared in collaboration with “Unmanned Exploration Research Institute,” a startup developing lunar exploration rovers. If the Nuri rocket successfully enters orbit, the CubeSat will sequentially conduct operational tests on each component at an altitude of 570 km for approximately 60 days.

The components include: △ a camera module from LG Innotek; △ a battery pack from LG Energy Solution; and △ a power module, attitude control actuator, and satellite communication antenna from LGELECTRONICS. The camera module will capture images of the Korean Peninsula and transmit the data, while the power module and attitude control actuator will be responsible for the satellite’s power supply and attitude control, respectively. The battery pack supplies power while collecting operational status data. The antenna serves as the satellite’s primary means of communication and operates continuously.

For this demonstration, the Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) approach was adopted, which involves adapting commercial components—whose reliability has been verified on Earth—to the space environment, rather than developing new products specifically for space. This approach is considered effective for lowering the barriers to entry into the private space industry by reducing development costs and time.

Since space presents extreme conditions—such as cryogenic temperatures, vacuum, and radiation—that differ from those on Earth, ensuring the stability and reliability of components is crucial. Through this demonstration, LG Corp. Science Park plans to verify that each component operates normally in an actual space environment and to utilize the data collected during operations to advance its technology in the future.

Starting with this demonstration, LG Corp. is accelerating its efforts to identify business opportunities in the space sector. The company is establishing a plan to verify its proprietary satellite payload technology, with the goal of launching its own CubeSat by 2028.

This project was initiated through LG Corp.’s open innovation platform, “SuperStart.” LG Science Park selected the Unmanned Exploration Research Institute—South Korea’s only company developing lunar exploration rovers—as a startup to nurture in 2023 and has been supporting it through the second phase of its incubator program since 2024.

Last January, LG Corp. also reviewed the growth potential and business opportunities in the space industry at the LG Technology Council, which includes technology executives from major affiliates. They shared scenarios for applying each affiliate’s proprietary technologies to the space industry and discussed potential future market entry strategies.

In particular, various collaboration models were discussed that would integrate the Unmanned Exploration Research Institute’s rover with LG Corp. affiliates’ camera, battery, and communication technologies. This approach involves utilizing LG Corp.’s technologies in processes such as the rover capturing and recording images at the exploration site and transmitting them back to Earth.

Jeong Su-heon, CEO of LG Science Park, stated, “This launch is the first step in verifying how LG Corp.’s technology actually performs in a space environment,” adding, “We will validate the technology we have accumulated on Earth and strive to contribute to the domestic space industry ecosystem.”