A Feasibility Study for a Two-Way Space Transportation Ecosystem Towards In-Space Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

An independent access to the low Earth orbit has been realized in South Korea as the Nuri flight has proven the capability to transport satellites and spacecraft into orbit in 2023. A new government program to nurture an industry partner was initiated, and several public missions will serve as an anchor customer for the time being, eventually targeting the price competitive commercial companies SpaceX and Rocket Lab are dominating now. Cost-competitive access to space is crucial for joining this sector, but this can only be realized when there is sufficient demand, either from public or commercial space ventures. This study introduces the pharmaceutical industries as another key driver in space economy, and their requirement of reliable two-way transportation ecosystem for frequent access to space-based factories and safe delivery of high-value products to Earth, For this, current status of launch industry is examined and the technical and economic feasibility of a two-way transportation ecosystem is analyzed.