SpaceX Scheduled to Launch Mugunghwa 5A Satellite in Late October
Chairman Hwang Chang-kyu meets with SpaceX Chairman Elon Musk and President Gwyn Shotwell to discuss potential future partnerships

KT announced on the 12th (local time) that Chairman Hwang Chang-kyu met with SpaceX Chairman Elon Musk and President Gwynne Shotwell at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California (near LA) to discuss the launch plan for the Mugunghwa 5A satellite and the possibility of future partnership.

Both KT and SpaceX are grounded in innovation. SpaceX plans, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. It was established in 2002 to innovate space technology with the ultimate goal of enabling humanity to live on other planets. KT is connected to this in that it introduced leading GiGA infrastructure, established 5G standards, showcased 5G pilot services at the PyeongChang Olympics, and is preparing for the world's first commercial 5G service based on this foundation.

First of all, KT Chairman Hwang Chang-kyu expressed his gratitude to SpaceX for making preparations to ensure that the Mugunghwa 5A satellite could be launched without any setbacks in late October.

Mugunghwa 5A, which replaces the existing Mugunghwa 5 satellite, can communicate with the Middle East, which is about 7,500 km away from Korea, whereas the previous coverage was limited to Southeast Asia. Its utility is expected to expand significantly as it can cover not only Southeast Asia but also the entire Asian region, including the Middle East.

"During our meeting with Chairman Elon Musk, known as an icon of innovation, we discussed cooperation plans in various fields such as 5G-based autonomous driving and energy," said KT Chairman Hwang Chang-kyu. "I hope this meeting will serve as an opportunity to further enhance KT's global competitiveness."

"SpaceX CEO Gwyn Shotwell said, 'SpaceX is proud to have collaborated on the launch of the Mugunghwa 5A satellite. We look forward to working together to successfully place this satellite into orbit.'"