The 200-ton Nuri rocket lifted off from Goheung at 12:25 p.m. and deployed five NEONSAT satellites. Nine of ten CubeSat secondary payloads separated; one startup satellite did not.
South Korea's Nuri rocket deployed five satellites for the country's first domestically launched microsatellite constellation on Wednesday, Yonhap reported from Goheung. The Korea AeroSpace Administration said the 200-ton vehicle lifted off from the Naro Space Center at 12:25 p.m. and finished its flight about 20 minutes later.
The primary payload was five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety satellites, numbered 2 through 6. They separated 35 to 40 seconds apart while the upper stage rotated about 45 degrees between releases. KASA said NEONSAT No. 6 made initial contact with King Sejong Station in Antarctica, and that contacts with the other four were expected by about 4:30 p.m.
Nine of ten CubeSat secondary payloads separated in pairs at 10-second intervals. PERSAT-02, built by the startup Quaternion, did not separate, KASA said. After the releases, Nuri performed a collision-avoidance maneuver and vented remaining fuel.
The flight was Nuri's fifth and its fourth success in a row after a failed debut in 2021, taking the success rate from 75 percent to 80 percent, Yonhap reported. Administrator Oh Tae-seok said the sequential deployment showed a more advanced transport capability. Each NEONSAT weighs under 100 kilograms and carries a camera meant to resolve objects of about 1 meter in black and white. Five more satellites are planned on a sixth flight in the second half of 2027.
Hanwha Aerospace manufactured the rocket and took part in launch operations. Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon called the flight another milestone and said the government would keep supporting private-sector launches.
People Sentiments Positive
- Oh Tae-seok said the fifth launch further enhanced Nuri's reliability.
- Bae Kyung-hoon called the flight another milestone for the space industry.