Nuri rocket completes fourth successful launch

South Korea’s Nuri rocket successfully completed its fourth launch in the morning of Nov. 27, flawlessly placing satellites into orbit. The launch significantly strengthened the reliability of the Nuri, which was developed entirely with domestic technology. With this achievement, South Korea can now actively enter the private space industry, a field previously dominated by advanced foreign companies, as the launch was led by domestic private firms.

The Nuri, which lifted off at 1:13 a.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, reliably separated its first and second stages and reached the planned altitude of 600 kilometers in 1,105 seconds. It then sequentially deployed the Next-Generation Medium Satellite 3, tasked with aurora observation and other missions, along with 12 small CubeSats, successfully placing them into orbit. Communication was subsequently confirmed between the medium satellite and ground stations, including the King Sejong Station in Antarctica. Despite being the first night launch and a countdown delayed by 18 minutes, the mission achieved flawless success.

Conducted after a two-and-a-half-year interval, the launch marked South Korea’s transition from the “Old Space” era, dominated by government-led programs, to a “New Space” era led by private companies. Hanwha Aerospace, which received technology transfers from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, coordinated collaboration among more than 300 companies, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was responsible for the launch pad system, which it designed and built using its own technology. The main payload, a medium satellite, was the first of its kind developed by a private company, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

With this launch, South Korea joined the ranks of the world’s seven major space powers, capable of deploying its satellites using domestic launch vehicles at any time. Yet the country still has a long way to go to catch up with the United States, China, Russia, the European Union, Japan, and India. In the past month alone, SpaceX conducted 15 launches of its Falcon 9, which offers the economic advantage of reusable rockets. In addition, the United States, China, and the European Union are competing to provide satellite internet services by deploying thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit ranging from 300 to 1,500 kilometers.

The Nuri is scheduled for a fifth launch next year and a sixth the following year. To enter the “space delivery industry,” which launches satellites for other countries, reliability and commercial viability must be significantly improved. The only way to boost competitiveness is to launch more frequently and successfully. The government must continue providing strong support for private companies’ space development efforts.