Cosmo Bee

Cosmo Bee CEO Dongha Park, whose company developed a Hall thruster for microsatellites. / Courtesy of The Vivid

 

Things once thought impossible are becoming reality. Self-driving cars travel along Gangnam-daero, and private citizens take space trips in Earth orbit. At this rate, humans may soon be living on Mars.

If humanity settles on Mars, a logistics network connecting Earth and Mars will be essential. One Korean startup is developing technology to bring the future space era closer: Cosmo Bee, which develops electric thrusters for microsatellites. The KAIST student-founded startup participated in Nuri’s fourth launch on November 27, 2025. We met Cosmo Bee CEO Dongha Park, 28, to hear how close space has come to our daily lives.

 

◇ The Road to Securing Space Heritage

A 2019 photo of Korea University’s rocket club activities. / Courtesy of CEO Dongha Park

 

Personal interests often take shape during adolescence. “I was greatly influenced by content such as the film Interstellar and the game StarCraft. I also entered a water-rocket competition in middle school. When I was completely absorbed in space and rockets, I dreamed of working at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). I studied mechanical engineering at Korea University and took a course called ‘Entrepreneurship’ during my second year.

 

That class led me to connect space with starting a business.” With entrepreneurship in mind, Park joined the Electric Propulsion Laboratory of Professor Wonho Choe, 63, in KAIST’s Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering and pursued master’s and doctoral studies. “Professor Choe is Korea’s leading authority on electric propulsion and has studied the field for more than 20 years since 2005. Electric propulsion is essential for movement in space. Applying energy to a gas ionizes it, creating positively charged plasma. When a positively charged metal plate is placed nearby, the ions are repelled. Put simply, propulsion is generated through repulsion between positive charges.”

 

The current positions of Starlink satellites. Each orange dot represents one satellite. / Screenshot from the Starlink website

 

Electric propulsion is particularly important for low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations. Low Earth orbit covers altitudes of approximately 160–2,000 kilometers. Dozens of satellites are often placed in the same orbit to improve observational accuracy. “For multiple satellites to maintain their spacing within the same orbit, they must use propellant appropriately and carefully control their speeds. Electric thrusters play a major role in this process. If a conventional thruster requires 200 kilograms of propellant, an electric thruster may need only 10 kilograms. The 180-kilogram difference can be used to carry better equipment or a more capable camera.

 

” Professor Choe’s team entered KARI’s CubeSat Competition in May 2022 and was selected in the Basic Satellite category. The team received funding for satellite development and an opportunity to launch the satellite three years later and test its performance in space. “No matter how closely we simulate the space environment on Earth, there are limits. Components and technologies proven in space are said to have secured ‘space heritage.’ Gaining space heritage is like earning wings for commercialization. I knew it was time to start a company.”

 

◇ A Honeybee Connecting Earth and Space

Cosmo Bee’s co-founders with CEO Dongha Park (far right) and Professor Wonho Choe (third from left). / Courtesy of CEO Dongha Park

 

Cosmo Bee was founded in 2023. Its name combines “cosmos” and “bee.” “Bees connect one flower to another. The name reflects our hope that our electric thrusters will one day connect Earth and the Moon, one planet to another, and one satellite to another. My doctoral colleagues and professor also supported Cosmo Bee. It felt like having an army behind me. We established an office at the KAIST Startup Incubation Center and continued our research and development.”

 

Cosmo Bee’s main product is a Hall thruster optimized for microsatellites. “Hall thrusters generate more thrust per unit of power than other electric thrusters. Their simple structure also makes them suitable for mass production. For example, with 1,000 watts of power, they can generate 60 millinewtons of thrust—approximately 1.5 to two times more than competing technologies. They are ideal for commercial space companies that need to mass-produce satellite constellations.”

 

A CubeSat being integrated for Nuri’s fourth launch. / Courtesy of Cosmo Bee

 

The CubeSat Competition led Cosmo Bee to participate in Nuri’s fourth launch project. “We developed a Hall thruster for an exceptionally small 3U CubeSat measuring 10 centimeters wide, 10 centimeters deep and 30 centimeters high—smaller than the systems we normally work with. That made the project even more difficult. Integrating a Hall thruster into such a small CubeSat was an exceptionally challenging undertaking even by global standards.”

 

The team also faced an unexpected battery-discharge incident. “Three months before launch, a battery purchased from Denmark self-discharged and would not power on. We were anxious because ordering a replacement would take too long. We contacted the manufacturer, learned how to restore it and repaired it ourselves. We finally brought it back to life and safely installed the satellite in its launch canister.”

 

Plasma generated by an electric thruster. / Courtesy of Cosmo Bee

 

Nuri’s fourth launch was successfully completed on November 27, 2025. All 12 CubeSats aboard the rocket established contact with ground stations. Cosmo Bee has also confirmed its participation in Nuri’s fifth launch in 2026. “On the fifth launch, we plan to continue the in-space validation of a core component called the hollow cathode, which has a hollow center. We still depend on imported cathodes. Because they are essential for igniting and sustaining Hall-thruster operation, they must be localized.”

 

◇ A “Space Courier” for Space Logistics

CEO Dongha Park poses with his arms extended as if blasting off like a rocket. / Courtesy of The Vivid

 

In September 2025, Cosmo Bee was selected for dcamp Batch 4, a startup investment and acceleration program operated by the Banks Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs, demonstrating its growth potential. “Even in the global market, electric thrusters for 100–200-kilogram microsatellites remain a blue ocean. Only three or four reliable microsatellite-thruster manufacturers exist worldwide. We are competing with a cost-effective product that delivers high efficiency even at low power.”

 

Using validation data from the Nuri mission, Cosmo Bee is preparing to officially launch its commercial model, Honeybee.

“Based on the technology used in K-HERO, we plan to improve reliability and enter the commercial satellite market in earnest. Our ultimate goal is to provide space logistics and transportation services. When delivering small shipments from Earth quickly to people living on Mars, few methods will be as efficient as Hall thrusters. We want Korean technology to write the first page of the space-logistics era.”

 

 

 

Original article : KAIST Students Close In on Their Dream: “Delivering Packages from Earth to Mars with Korean Technology”