StepLab

스텝랩

Daejeon-based space-mechanisms startup founded in June 2021 by Oh Hyun-ung, a former JAXA and Agency for Defense Development researcher who is now a professor at Korea Aerospace University. It develops launch-vibration-isolating cubesat deployers (STEP POD), a 15-inch separation ring for satellites under 300 kg, micro-vibration reduction devices, a 4 m three-stage deployable SAR mesh antenna, and an AI zoom optical module for space domain awareness. Selected as a DAPA defense innovation company in December 2025, it leads Daejeon City's first satellite, DaejeonSAT-1, slated for the fifth Nuri launch, closed a KRW 11B Series A in July 2026, and in September 2026 began a 36-month KRIT-funded program with SRI International to develop a 16U space-domain-awareness optical payload.

Founded

2021

Headquarters

Daejeon, South Korea

Website

Visit Site

space mechanisms cubesat deployers deployable antennas vibration isolation space domain awareness payloads

StepLab at a glance

StepLab is a South Korean defense company based in Daejeon, founded in 2021. Makes Deployable SAR Mesh Antenna, Space Domain Awareness Optical Payload (16U), STEP POD Cubesat Deployer and 1 more systems.

StepLab Products & Systems

Deployable SAR Mesh Antenna

Other

4 m-class, three-stage deployable mesh antenna for synthetic-aperture radar smallsats, described as the first developed in Korea.

Space Domain Awareness Optical Payload (16U)

Other

Micro-vibration-damped optical payload with onboard AI processor for a 16U space-domain-awareness microsatellite, developed with SRI International under KRIT's defense innovation global-cooperation program over 36 months from September 2026.

STEP POD Cubesat Deployer

Other

STEP POD

Cubesat deployer that isolates the satellite from launch-vehicle vibration using StepLab's in-house vibration isolation system, reducing the launch loads that drive structural margins on small satellites. Its first flight demonstration is DaejeonSAT-1, StepLab's own 16U cubesat and Daejeon City's first satellite, manifested as a secondary payload on the fifth launch of the Korean Nuri (KSLV-II) rocket planned for 2026. The same micro-vibration isolation approach is the foundation of the 16U space-domain-awareness optical payload StepLab is developing with SRI International under a KRIT defense program from September 2026, and of the STEP-RING15 15-inch separation ring for satellites under 300 kg now being localized.

STEP-RING15 Separation Ring

Other

15-inch standard separation system for satellites under 300 kg that holds the spacecraft to the launch vehicle and releases it on orbit, combining StepLab's separation mechanism with launch-load and vibration reduction. Being localized under a Ministry of SMEs and Startups regional startup program.

Latest StepLab News

Space startup StepLab and SRI to co-develop a 16U cubesat space-domain-awareness payload under KRIT program

StepLab, a Korean space-mechanisms startup led by Korea Aerospace University professor Oh Hyun-ung, announced on September 22, 2026 that it will jointly develop a 16U cubesat optical payload for space domain awareness with the US research institute SRI under the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement's defense innovation global cooperation program. The payload combines StepLab's micro-vibration isolation technology with optical sensors and onboard AI for detecting and tracking objects in orbit. StepLab, whose products include separation rings, the STEP POD cubesat deployer, and deployable SAR mesh antennas, closed an 11 billion won Series A on July 31, 2026.

Sep 22, 2026 | Money Today / Goyang Shinmun

startup StepLab space cubesat