S. Korea’s homegrown Nuri successfully puts domestic satellites in orbit

Posted on : 2023-05-26 16:48 KST Modified on : 2023-05-26 16:48 KST
Experts say the Korean aerospace industry has taken the first step into the “new space” era
A next-generation small satellite separates from the Nuri, Korea’s homegrown rocket. (courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute)
A next-generation small satellite separates from the Nuri, Korea’s homegrown rocket. (courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute)

South Korea successfully launched its domestically developed Nuri rocket for a third time on Thursday.

Building upon the success of its second trial launch last year, Korea managed to put a commercial-grade satellite into orbit with this one, greatly enhancing the domestic and international credibility of the Korean aerospace industry’s ability to develop and launch projectiles.

Experts say the Korean aerospace industry has taken the first step into the “new space” era, in which the industry is led by the private sector.

“The third launch of the Nuri rocket was successfully completed thanks to public interest and support,” said Science Minister Lee Jong-ho in a briefing at the press center at the Naro Space Center, in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, at 7:50 pm on Thursday.

“We confirmed that the small next-generation satellite that was the main payload and six cube satellites were successfully deployed, but a little more time will be needed to confirm whether one of the SNIPE satellites was ejected successfully,” Lee added.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol welcomed the news about the successful launch of the Nuri rocket, also known as KSLV-II. “We’ve confirmed today that dreams can come true,” he said.

“Some of the satellites on the Nuri rocket were developed by KAIST and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, but three of them were made by Korean startups. That makes [the launch] particularly significant and makes me very proud. Once again, I offer my congratulations on the Nuri rocket’s success,” Yoon wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Nuri, a space launch vehicle made exclusively with Korean technology, blasts off from Naro Space Center in South Jeolla Province’s Goheung County on May 25. (courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute)
Nuri, a space launch vehicle made exclusively with Korean technology, blasts off from Naro Space Center in South Jeolla Province’s Goheung County on May 25. (courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute)

The Nuri rocket was developed by a consortium of some 300 Korean companies under the leadership of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute as part of a program to develop a homegrown delivery system that has been running since 2010.

The Nuri launch had originally been scheduled for Wednesday, but it was delayed by one day after technicians uncovered a communications glitch between the automated system controlling launch preparations and the system controlling the launcher equipment.

In a meeting of the launch supervisory committee (chaired by Oh Tae-seog, first vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT) at 11 am on Thursday, the ministry and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute reviewed the outcome of steps taken to deal with the issue discovered the previous day and decided to go ahead with the launch that same day.

In line with this decision, the refueling of the rocket, which had been sitting on the launchpad since Tuesday morning, began at 3:40 pm. When the thrust of the first-stage engine reached 300 tons at 6:24 pm, the anchoring device holding the launch vehicle in place automatically released and sent the rocket soaring into the sky.

The Nuri rocket went through its first stage of separation 2 minutes and 5 seconds after taking off from the space center, and the fairing cover that serves to protect the rocket’s payload detached after 3 minutes and 54 seconds.

The separation of the mounted satellites began 13 minutes and 3 seconds after launch when the rocket reached its target altitude of 550 kilometers. The separation began with the small next-generation satellite (NEXTSAT-2), the main satellite on board, followed by the cube (micro) Justek satellite (JAC), LUMIR-T1, Kairospace (KSAT3U) and SNIPE satellites in sequence.

By Kim Jeong-su, senior staff writer; Chai Yoon-tae, staff reporter; Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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