May 20, 2026

[APSI Opens First Private Satellite AIT Center in Greater Seoul]

APSI, a leading satellite communications and space technology company, has established the first privately operated satellite Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) facility in the Greater Seoul area. Through this new facility, the company aims to strengthen its competitiveness by providing a comprehensive one-stop system covering satellite avionics manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing, and mission operations.

On May 20, APSI held the completion ceremony for its AIT Center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, attended by key stakeholders and industry representatives. Prior to the ceremony, CEO Seong-hee Lee led a media briefing and facility tour. According to the company, the AIT Center is the first integrated satellite assembly and testing facility built by a private space company in the Greater Seoul area, consolidating critical satellite development infrastructure in a single location.

The AIT Center has been designed to provide end-to-end satellite development capabilities, from board-level manufacturing of satellite avionics to satellite system assembly, integration, and testing. The facility includes satellite assembly and testing cleanrooms, a satellite mission control center, a space-grade printed circuit board (PCB) production line, avionics manufacturing cleanrooms, an AIT operations center, and satellite antenna facilities.

“The performance and qualification testing of our products previously relied on external organizations such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL),” said Seong-hee Lee, CEO of APSI. “With the completion of our own AIT Center, we now have the capability to manage the entire process from production to testing in-house. Only a handful of companies in Korea operate their own AIT facilities, and APSI’s center is estimated to rank among the largest in the country.”

The five-story AIT Center features cleanrooms capable of assembling and testing satellites weighing up to 750 kilograms, as well as mission control facilities capable of communicating with satellites ranging from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). The center also includes a PCB manufacturing line compliant with ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardization) requirements.

In addition, the facility is equipped with environmental test systems, including vibration test equipment, thermal vacuum chambers, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) chambers. These capabilities strengthen APSI’s ability to independently conduct satellite avionics production, system integration, quality verification, and operational support throughout the satellite lifecycle.

APSI is one of Korea’s leading private space companies, with extensive expertise in satellite communication terminals and satellite systems. Through its long-standing partnership with Thuraya, the company has supplied more than one million satellite communication terminals worldwide. APSI has since expanded its business portfolio to include small satellite platforms, satellite buses, payloads, avionics, Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE), and ground station systems.

Looking ahead, CEO Lee outlined the company’s long-term vision: “We are also planning to launch and operate our own satellites and develop a data services business based on satellite-generated information. We intend to expand into various sectors, including SAR satellites, optical satellites, and communications satellites, while continuing our growth into a global comprehensive space solutions provider.”