The Nuri, a space launch vehicle developed with homegrown technology, succeeded in its fourth launch. Following the second launch in 2022 and the third in 2023, this marks the Nuri’s third successful launch. A hallmark of this fourth mission is that the private company Hanwha Aerospace took charge of Nuri’s production for the first time. With the fourth Nuri launch, the era of ‘new space’ (private-led space development) has opened in Korea.

Bae Kyung-Hoon, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, announced at a briefing held at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla, at 2:40 a.m. on the 27th that “the fourth Nuri launch has succeeded.” He explained, “The Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite No. 3, and 12 ultra-small satellites (CubeSats), have settled into Earth orbit.”

Nuri was launched from the Naro Space Center at 1:13 a.m. that day. The previously announced planned liftoff time had been 12:55 a.m. As liftoff neared, however, an ‘umbilical retrieval pressure sensor’ showed an abnormal signal. A check by the Space Agency found that the pressure was normal and the sensor had a mechanical issue, so the launch date did not slip. Only the liftoff time was pushed back by 18 minutes.

The delay tightened the atmosphere at the Naro Space Center, as the launch window based on the target orbits of the onboard satellites ran only until 1:14 a.m. Fortunately, with no further delay, Nuri ignited at 1:13 a.m. and soared into space.

Immediately after liftoff, the first and second stages and the fairing separated as planned. The primary payload, Next-Generation Mid-Size Satellite No. 3, and the 12 secondary ultra-small satellites entered Earth orbit at an altitude of about 600㎞ as planned.

A defining feature of the fourth Nuri launch is that a private company led the launcher’s production for the first time. Yoon Young-Bin, Administrator of the Space Agency, said at the briefing, “It is highly significant that Hanwha Aerospace not only oversaw manufacturing but also took part in launch operations.”

Hanwha Aerospace performed this role in its capacity as a ‘system integrator’ receiving a transfer of Nuri’s technical know-how. It broadly handled management of component suppliers, assembly of stages 1~3, and integration of the overall vehicle.

Up through the first through third launches, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute led launcher production. Hence, the fourth Nuri launch is being viewed as a signal for the full-fledged start of new spaceprivate-led space developmentin Korea. Bae said, “The success of the fourth Nuri launch will be an important turning point as the ecosystem of Korea’s space industry shifts from government-led to private-led.”

For the fifth and sixth launches, scheduled for next year and 2027 respectively, Hanwha Aerospace’s role is set to expand further. It will actively take part not only in launcher production but also in launch command and control. Through this, the Space Agency plans to boost Nuri’s reliability and speed up the transfer of technology to the private sector.

New space is already the mainstream in advanced spacefaring nations. SpaceX, the U.S. private space company led by Elon Musk, is dominating the global space transportation market with reusable launchers such as ‘Falcon 9’. By steadily conducting test launches of its new spacecraft ‘Starship’, it is also leading discussions on humanity’s settlement on Mars.

Son Jae-Il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, said, “The space sector has boundless potential,” adding, “We will do our utmost to continuously sustain and advance our independent space launch capabilities.”

Bae said, “New challenges in our country’s space development will continue,” adding, “Building on today’s success, we will steadfastly pursue next-generation launch vehicle development, lunar exploration, and deep-space exploration, so that the Republic of Korea can leap into the ranks of the world’s top five space powers.”