Korea has the ambitious goal of becoming one of the ten leading space technology powerhouses by 2010.

To achieve this, the government is aggressively pushing for a self-reliant space program and another project that will put its first astronaut into space by March in 2008.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will officially announce its plan to select the country`s first astronaut on April 21, which marks Science Day. Astronaut candidates, who must be aged over 19, will go through four stages of competition. Three hundred will be selected for the first round, 30 will go through to the second round, 10 in the third. The final rounds will then select Korea`s first astronauts.

The final two candidates will go through training at Russia`s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center for 15 months from January 2007 to March 2008. But only one of them will be finally chosen as the first Korean astronaut to ride on the Russian manned spacecraft Soyuz in April 2008.

Online applications can be submitted at www.woojuro.or.kr. The candidates should be 150-190 centimeters tall (80-99 centimeters tall in a sitting position) and weigh between 50-95 kilograms. They must also have eyesight of over 0.1 and corrected eyesight of over 1.0. Blood pressure is required to remain between 90 and 140 mmHg in contraction, and between 60 and 90 mmHg in relaxation. Foot size is required to be over 29.5 centimeters. The candidates will be required to be fluent in English and Russian.

Most of all, candidates should have basic physical strength capable of running a 3.5-kilometer marathon in 20 minutes, the Science Ministry said.

The future astronaut will travel to the International Space Station via the Soyuz capsule to conduct various tasks involving science experiments, while residing in the Russian module of the ISS for ten days.

The Korean government estimates the project will cost a total of 26 billion won. The Korean Aerospace Research Institute, or KARI, has allocated 20 billion won and the government 6 billion won.

In another move, Korea`s push for a self-reliant space program is comprised of three related technologies - satellites, rockets to lift the satellites into orbit and a space center with launch facilities.

Korea has operated nine active and decommissioned satellites. The country plans to complete a space center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, launch two more satellites and develop its first rocket by next year.

A multipurpose satellite "Arirang 2" will be launched at Plesetsk, Russia, in July this year. Another satellite, dubbed "Science and Technology Satellite-2," will be launched next year at the Goheung Space Center.

The space center, being built on the remote island of Narodo in Goheung County, will be the nation`s hub for space science and technology research.

The KARI plans to develop the country`s first satellite launch vehicle in a joint project with Russian scientists. Named KSLV-1, short for Korea Space Launch Vehicle, it will be designed to put a 100-kilogram payload into low orbit.

Only eight countries around the world currently have the ability to manufacture rockets, or satellite launch vehicles.

By 2015, Korea hopes to put 20 satellites into orbit, including eight multipurpose satellites, seven science satellites and five geostationary orbital satellites, according to the Science Ministry.

The state-funded KARI spearheads the ministry`s satellite program. After five years of collaborative efforts with U.S.-based defense contractor TRW Inc., KARI developed Korea`s first multipurpose satellite, Arirang 1, which was launched in December 1999.

Arirang 2 is designed as a 765-kilogram earth observation satellite with an orbital altitude of 685 kilometers. The main mission of Arirang 2 is to provide geographical information system-based data of the Korean Peninsula during its three-year lifespan, covering information such as hydrology, road networks, urban mapping and demographic data.

Also, the multipurpose satellite will send information on changing natural environments to provide information for preventive measures against natural disasters. It will scan disaster-stricken areas, and survey the country`s agriculture, fishery and forestry resources, according to KARI.

KARI is taking a leading role in the project, along with other research institutes such as the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Companies participating in the Arirang 2 consortium are Korean Air Co., Hanwha Group, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. and Doosan Infracore Co.

KARI is developing a multi-spectral camera with Israel`s ELOP Electronics Industries Ltd., which will be installed on Arirang 2. The MSC is designed to offer high-resolution imaging for the mapping of the Korean Peninsula, KARI said.

"By seeing pictures sent from Arirang 2, people can recognize the shape of any given car on streets," said Hwang Do-soon, head of KARI`s Overall Coordination Department.

"A total of 263.3 billion won and around 300 scientists were involved to achieve the successful launch of Arirang 2. Eighty percent of Arirang 2`s manufacturing process was achieved by Korean scientists," Hwang said.

Arirang 3 will be launched in 2009 and Arirang 5 will be sent into orbit in 2008. Progress on the development of Arirang 4, however, has stalled according to the Science Ministry.

The institute is also developing an ocean and meteorological satellite, which is scheduled for launch in 2008. The main objective of the satellite is to provide weather monitoring and data for disaster management and prevention. The satellite will also be used to obtain information on marine resources and ecosystems.

Other than these public-service satellites, there are broadcasting and communications satellites developed by the private sector. For instance, the country`s largest telecom carrier SK Telecom Co., in cooperation with Japan-based Mobile Broadcasting Corp., launched "Hanbyul" in 2004 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which now enables people to enjoy seamless multimedia services on handheld devices.

(siyoungh@heraldm.com)

By Hwang Si-young