South Korea's Perigee Aerospace Inc. announced on Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Rotem Co. to expand its business from space launch vehicles (SLV) to methane engines and guided weapons.
Perigee expects synergy with Hyundai Rotem, which has domestic experience developing methane engine technology, as the former is developing liquid methane engine SLV.
Hyundai Rotem's officials visited the Perigee Rocket Development Complex in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, to inspect the development status and facilities of Perigee's small space launch vehicle Blue Whale 1.
Perigee plans to launch an improved model of the Blue Whale 1 upper stage in the first half of this year to conduct launch vehicle flight verification.