Kazakhstan intends to enter the international space technology market. The country may launch production of satellites and their components, which are subsequently planned to be supplied to Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The project is being discussed with South Korea's CONTEC Space Group, one of the major players in the country's space industry. Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev visited the company's assembly and testing complex in Seoul and met with its board chairman Lee Sunhee.
The Korean group is considering investing in the Kazakh project "Ғалам". This concerns not only financial participation, but also joint satellite assembly, production of components and development of a network of ground stations.
The main result of the negotiations could be the creation of a full-fledged production hub in Kazakhstan. It is intended to produce satellite components for the domestic market and export. Another possible project is the localization of production of large-sized antenna systems.
The parties propose processing space imagery using artificial intelligence. This will make it possible to analyze Earth remote sensing data faster and use it, for example, to monitor agricultural land, natural areas and infrastructure.
CONTEC Space Group unites the companies CONTEC, Asia Pacific Satellite Corporation and Texas Space Communication. The group supplies onboard computers for South Korea's state satellites and operates 17 ground stations in various countries, including the USA, Chile, South Africa and Australia.
In the near future, the Korean company plans to register a subsidiary in Kazakhstan. The specific parameters of cooperation are to be presented during the state visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to South Korea.