The Korean National Science and Technology Council issued a plan for a National Space Program which could be an important milestone  in the history of science in Korea. The plan addressed the development  of new space launch vehicles which are named Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV). The KSLV program consists of two consecutive low-earth orbit (LEO) launch vehicle developments: the KSLV-I and KSLV-II. The payloads of KSLV are a 100 kg-class satellite for KSLV-I and a 1.5 ton-class satellite for KSLV-II.

Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has taken responsibility for the KSLV development process, and the KSLV program office in KARI was newly re-organized to include many experienced rocket engineers in KARI. KARI already successfully carried out the development of a single-staged sounding rockets (Korea Sounding Rocket-I: KSR-I), two-staged sounding rockets (Korea Sounding Rocket-II: KSR-II) and KSR-III. While both KSR-I and KSR-II had a solid propellant rocket engine, KSR-III had liquid propellant rocket engine, which was Korea¡¯s first step in liquid propellant rocket engine development. KARI hopes that the KSLV program will be a steppingstone for Korea¡¯s entrance into the international market of launching service.