2024.10.30
Posco, Goyang, Korean Air, LIG Nex1 and Korea Aerospace University join hand to advance vertiport tech
By
LEE JAE-LIM, Korea JoongAng Daily - Posco has formed a strategic partnership
with the city of Goyang, Korean Air, LIG Nex1 and Korea Aerospace University to
advance technology for vertiports supporting urban air mobility (UAM), it said
on Friday.
Goyang
will act as a testbed for the five counterparts to co-develop new technologies
needed to operate and commercialize UAM.
Posco
will be in charge of creating the infrastructure for vertiport, where the UAM
takes off and lands vertically. Since 2022, Posco has been developing steel
materials and structures tailored to build such facilities in an urban
environment.
The
agreement was signed at the opening ceremony for Goyang Drone-UAM Expo 2024
held in Kintex on Thursday. Song Yon-kyun, head of Posco’s Steel Solution
Research Laboratory; Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan; Kim Kyung-nam, head of Korean
Air Aviation Technology Research Institute; Choi Jong-jin, LIG Nex1’s senior
managing director and Korea Aerospace University President Hurr Hee-young
participated at the signing ceremony.
Posco
displayed a prototype of a steel vertiport at the expo that runs until Friday.
“A
vertiport is a facility that plays a crucial role in ensuring safety during the
takeoff and landing of aircraft, making it integral for UAM commercialization,”
Song said in a statement. “Through ongoing research, development and
collaboration, Posco aims to develop a safe and cost-effective steel vertiport
model to support the growth of the UAM industry.”