Boryung is partnering with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to secure its first potential customers for its space life sciences research infrastructure. This move follows Boryung’s investment in the U.S. company Axiom Space and the establishment of a joint venture, expanding the commercialization base of its space business by connecting actual research institutions with infrastructure utilization demands.
Boryung announced on Tuesday that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DLR for research collaboration in space life sciences and infrastructure utilization. The partnership began during the 2023 Humans in Space (HIS) initiative, with both parties now agreeing to develop specific plans for research infrastructure use.
Under the agreement, both entities will explore joint research projects and discuss how DLR’s independent space medicine research can be tested and verified using Boryung’s space research infrastructure. The plan is to create a testbed that meets actual research needs by incorporating DLR researchers’ required experimental environments, equipment, and operational conditions from the design phase.
Boryung aims to use this collaboration as a springboard to secure demands from other research institutions. Their strategy involves designing and providing tailored infrastructure to meet the specific research objectives and requirements of each institution, thereby identifying additional potential customers.
Following its investment in Axiom Space in late 2022, Boryung established the joint venture Brax Space to secure domestic business rights utilizing Axiom’s space infrastructure. Since then, Boryung has been building its business foundation by identifying startups and research projects in space medicine. The collaboration with DLR is significant as it connects existing investments and partnerships to tangible research needs.
DLR has established expertise in aerospace medicine, focusing on the effects of space environments on the human body. Its Cologne Aerospace Medicine Institute’s research facility, “envihab,” studies astronauts’ physical changes and their readjustment to Earth’s gravity. Boryung expects to incorporate DLR’s research experience and specific experimental requirements into its infrastructure design.
Boryung Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kim Jeong-kyun stated that DLR’s participation as the first potential customer for the space research infrastructure is a significant milestone. It will extensively incorporate the partner institutions’ input to enhance the competitiveness of the space medicine research infrastructure and secure additional customers.
In April 2023, Boryung signed a joint venture agreement with Axiom Space to pursue collaborative space business initiatives.
The joint venture, with Boryung and Axiom Space investing in a 51:49 ratio, will be established in South Korea. It will leverage Axiom Space’s technology and infrastructure to jointly pursue all business areas based on the Axiom Station, which is set to replace the International Space Station (ISS).