StepLab

Field-Tested

스텝랩

Space-mechanisms startup founded in June 2021 in Daejeon by Oh Hyun-ung, a University of Tokyo-trained aerospace engineer who worked at JAXA and the Agency for Defense Development before becoming a professor at Chosun University and, since 2023, Korea Aerospace University. The company name comes from his 2018 STEP CubeLab satellite. Products span launch and on-orbit vibration isolation, the STEP POD cubesat deployer, the STEP-RING15 15-inch separation ring, a 4 m three-stage deployable SAR mesh antenna, and an AI zoom optical module for space domain awareness. StepLab leads Daejeon City's first satellite, DaejeonSAT-1, manifested on the fifth Nuri launch, was named a DAPA defense innovation company in December 2025, closed a KRW 11B Series A in July 2026, and in September 2026 began a 36-month KRIT global-cooperation program with SRI International on a 16U space-domain-awareness optical payload. About 30 employees; revenue roughly KRW 2.4B.

Founded

2021

Daejeon, South Korea

Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$10M

Employees

Website

Visit Site

Space & Satellites Sensors & C4ISR AI & Autonomous Systems

Field Tests & Validation

DaejeonSAT-1 / STEP POD flight demonstration on Nuri launch 5

2026 | Naro Space Center, South Korea

Demonstration ongoing

DaejeonSAT-1, a 16U cubesat led by StepLab, is manifested as a secondary payload on the fifth Nuri (KSLV-II) launch planned for 2026 to demonstrate the vibration-isolating STEP POD deployer in flight. Launch outcome not yet reported.

Participants: StepLab, Daejeon City, CSO, EPSTECH, MID, CONTEC, KARI

Source: Money Today (unverified)

Products & Technology

STEP POD Cubesat Deployer

Space mechanism

Prototype

Cubesat deployer with in-house vibration isolation that cuts launch loads on the satellite. First flight demonstration on DaejeonSAT-1 (16U) as a secondary payload of Nuri launch 5, planned for 2026.

isolation In-house vibration isolation system

first flight DaejeonSAT-1 on Nuri launch 5 (planned 2026)

STEP-RING15 Separation Ring

Space mechanism

R&D

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.

interface 15-inch

satellite mass under 300 kg

Deployable SAR Mesh Antenna

Space antenna

R&D

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

aperture 4 m class

deployment Three-stage

Space Domain Awareness Optical Payload (16U)

Defense space payload

R&D

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.

platform 16U microsatellite

payload Optical sensor, onboard AI, micro-vibration damper

partner SRI International

duration 36 months from 2026-09

Leadership

Oh Hyun-ung (오현웅)

Founder & CEO

Korea Aerospace University graduate with a master's and PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Tokyo; researcher at JAXA from 1999, later at the Agency for Defense Development; professor at Chosun University, where he launched the STEP CubeLab satellite from India in 2018; professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Korea Aerospace University since 2023.

Government Contracts

Buyer	Description	Value	Status	Date
South Korea	Defense innovation company global-cooperation program: 16U space-domain-awareness optical payload microsatellite system with SRI International, 36 months; value not disclosed.	Undisclosed	signed	2026-09-21

Funding History

Series A

2026-07-31

Investors: CompanyK Partners (follow-on), Kolon Investment, IBK Venture Investment, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, SL Investment, KODIT, D.CAMP

$8M

KRW 11B

Series A (first close)

2024-06-26

Investors: CompanyK Partners, IBK Industrial Bank of Korea

$2M

KRW 3B

Total Funding (Cumulative)

$10M

Milestones

2026-09-21

Signed a 36-month agreement under KRIT's defense innovation company global-cooperation program to develop a micro-vibration-damped 16U space-domain-awareness optical payload with SRI International as technical partner; value not disclosed.

2026-08-11

Selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups 2026 startup-city project (Daejeon, space sector) to localize the STEP-RING15 separation ring.

2026-07-31

Closed a KRW 11B Series A, above its original target, with CompanyK Partners following on and Kolon Investment, IBK Venture Investment, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, SL Investment, KODIT, and D.CAMP joining.

2026-03-04

Exhibited at Drone Show Korea 2026.

2025-12-18

Selected by DAPA as one of 21 defense innovation companies, in the space sector.

2025-02-11

DaejeonSAT-1, Daejeon City's first satellite led by StepLab with CSO, EPSTECH, MID, and CONTEC, selected as a secondary payload for the fifth Nuri launch.

2024-11-21

Named a KODIT "First Penguin" company.

2024-06-26

Raised KRW 3B from CompanyK Partners and IBK Industrial Bank, its first institutional round.

2021-06-11

Company founded in Daejeon by Oh Hyun-ung and his students.

Target Markets

• Korean smallsat developers and launch programs (Nuri)
• ROK defense space programs (DAPA, KRIT)
• Export of vibration-isolation solutions

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

Data sourced from public reports, press releases, and official company materials. Last verified: 2026-09. See individual source citations for provenance details. Performance ratings, where shown, reflect sourced claims and are not KDReview endorsements.