For the third time, South Korea will launch its first nationwide developed rocket, called Nuri, on Thursday in an attempt to launch a satellite into orbit, in what could mark a turning point in South Korea’s evolving space program.
The flight, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed a few hours before the scheduled time due to a technical problem. It has since been resolved, officials said.
This is Nuri’s third start. A first shot failed before success came in 2022 on the second launch of the rocket that had put test satellites into orbit. During these firings, the payloads carried by the launch vehicle were primarily used to study their performance.
The rocket will launch eight operational satellites, including one true “commercial satellite,” on Thursday, according to South Korea’s Science Ministry.
The three-stage launch vehicle, more than 47 meters high and weighing around 200 tons, is scheduled to launch at 18:24 local time (9:24 GMT) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast of the country.
This “third launch aims to put a South Korean-developed satellite” into target orbit, Ko Jeong-hwan, director of the Nuri missile program at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), told reporters.
The 180 kg machine NEXTSat 2 was developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). It must be orbited at an altitude of about 550 km, explains KARI.
The device is equipped with a small synthetic aperture radar, which makes it possible to obtain high-resolution images regardless of weather conditions.
The success of this third launch will depend on the launch vehicle’s ability to correctly place the eight satellites it is carrying into orbit.
The development of this rocket took about ten years and cost 2,000 billion won (1.4 billion euros).
South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries, but has always lagged behind in space exploration, with the Soviet Union leading the way with the launch of the first satellite in 1957.
The first two South Korean launches of a missile partially using Russian technology, in 2009 and 2010, failed. The successful start finally took place in January 2013.