South Korea Pushes to Commercialize Quantum Research

The quantum age is upon us, and South Korea is angling for a seat at the table. South Korea announced a plan this week to expand the country’s research into quantum communications tech. The Open Quantum Testbed Advancement and Expansion Project aims to help quantum comms technologies, such as Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), mature from science projects to commercial applications. Step-by-step: South Korea asked industry to form consortiums and pitch projects under three categories: commercial, international, and future tech. While the first two categories focus on terrestrial applications, and strive to advance quantum comms for domestic and international telecommunications, the future hub is explicitly focused on satellite and wireless QKD. Shooting for the stars: The announcement comes amid a sustained push by South Korea to boost its international competitiveness in next-generation technologies. In March, KASA announced that it would dramatically increase its New Space Fund, which supports the development of the domestic private space industry—from ₩8.1B ($5.6M) to ₩200B ($138.5M). Much like its newfound focus on the space economy, South Korea’s push into quantum tech will rely heavily on international partners, with the aim of boosting domestic businesses through overseas cooperation. “We will actively support strengthening the global competitiveness of domestic companies through international cooperation and technology verification, ensuring that quantum technology establishes itself as a core infrastructure supporting future industrial innovation,” Kim Seong-soo, director-general for South Korea’s Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology, said in a statement. Related Stories Business • Technology Muon Space Unveils New, Larger Satellite Bus Condor-Ultra is three times larger than its Condor-XL satellite bus, and geared toward the nascent orbital-data-center market. Military • Technology Northrop Grumman Taps Apex for Golden Dome SBI Collab Northrop Grumman is on track to deliver on-orbit missile defense capabilities with Apex in 2027. Business Voyager Will Acquire Astrobotic “With Astrobotic, Voyager is now a lunar platform that will have capability at every infrastructure layer needed to put Americans on the lunar surface and keep them there.” EO • International • Technology Bellatrix Aerospace Tapped to Build Korean VLEO Demo Sat Bellatrix Aerospace is teaming up with Korean optical payload manufacturer TelePIX on a new VLEO demo satellite, launching NET 2028.    More Stories Military Overview Energy Wins Air Force Contract Jacqueline Feldscher May 6, 2026 May 6, 2026 Share Twitter Linkedin Facebook Copy Email Image: Overview Energy Overview Energy has won its first Air Force contract, which will allow the startup to study using the sun to power remote military installations. The details: Overview Energy, which emerged from stealth in December, is aiming to collect solar power in GEO and deliver it to solar panels on Earth. The system will allow solar panels to continue to produce power at night, without any need for retrofitting existing ground-based infrastructure.  Military applications: Power is required for military operations. As a result, fuel lines can be a strategic vulnerability—and fuel deliveries can become a target for enemies. Overview claims it can avoid those potential threats by ensuring military bases have continuous power with solar power harnessed in space, day or night.  Keep reading Load More