South Korea launches first homegrown rocket carrying 8 satellites

Asia-Pacific, News May 28, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

South Korea successfully launched its first fully domestically produced space rocket carrying eight satellites, marking a major step in the regional space race.

Nuri rocket, also called KSLV-II, took off from Naro Space Center on the southern coast of South Korea. It was the third successful launch for South Korea’s Nuri rocket and the first-ever launch carrying a commercial payload.

The flight was initially scheduled to take place on May 24, 2023, however, after a last-minute cancellation due to a technical difficulty, the launching date was pushed back one day and the flight took place on May 25, at 6:25 P.M. local time. Hundreds of spectators, carrying Korean national flags, gathered to watch the launch and cheered as the rocket made its way into space.

The 155-foot-tall KLSV-II is a three-stage space launch vehicle that has been built to meet the increasing demand for commercial space flights. Its first mission was to deploy eight satellites into orbit, including three from South Korean companies named Lumir, Justek, and Kairo Space. The satellites will be used to monitor space radiation, observation of Earth, and meteorological purposes. Nuri’s primary payload was a 180-kilogram NEXTSat-2 satellite, that will demonstrate synthetic aperture radar technology.

The Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has jointly produced the Nuri rocket with the country’s leading aircraft engine producer Hanwha Aerospace. Hanwha has developed the rocket’s liquid-propellant engines.

With ambitions to expand commercial launches for international clients, South Korea has dedicated a record $647 million budget to its space program a nearly 20% increase from last year. KARI plans to expand the scope of Nuri’s operation from satellite deployment to lunar exploration and resource exploration. Nuri is expected to make three more space flights by 2027.

^{The fully assembled Nuri rocket, also known as KSLV-II, at the Naro Space Center on June 13, 2022, in the southern coastal village of Goheung in South Korea. (Image Credit: Korea Aerospace Research Institute)}

The launch of a domestically produced space rocket has put South Korea among the top seven countries in the world that can put satellites into space. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol celebrated the launch of the country’s first fully homegrown space rocket by stating that “This will greatly change the way the world sees South Korea’s space science technology and its advanced industry.”

Although Seoul has ruled out any weapons use for its homegrown space rocket, it plans to put military satellites using domestically produced space technology. The space race in the region has become more intense since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was seeking to develop more sophisticated weapons systems, including a spy satellite, to cope with what it called hostility from the U.S. and South Korea.