Korea's First Indigenous Launch Vehicle Nuriho to Head to Space on October 21

National Space Committee Approves Korea Aerospace Research Institute Launch Plan and Permit Application on 12th
Launch Date Tentatively Set for October 21, with October 22-28 as Backup Dates
Review of Insurance Enrollment and Safety Assurance Preparation Plans
Second Launch Tentatively Scheduled for May 19 Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] South Korea's first independently developed space launch vehicle is set to head to space on October 21. If successful, South Korea will become the seventh country in the world to officially possess a space launch vehicle.

On the afternoon of the 12th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held the 'National Space Committee' and approved the launch permit review results submitted by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) for the Korean launch vehicle. Accordingly, KARI will conduct the final stage inspection, the 'Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR - oxidizer loading and discharge rehearsal),' at the end of this month. If there are no issues, a launch management committee meeting will be held at the end of September to finalize the scheduled launch date.

Due to weather conditions, the launch may be postponed, with October 22-28 set as the backup launch period. Currently, KARI has completed the development and performance verification of all components, including the Nuriho 75-ton engine, 7-ton engine, and propellant tanks. The flight model (FM) to be actually launched is also in the final assembly stage. Certification tests between the first, second, and third stages and the launch pad have been successfully completed, indicating that preparations for the October launch are progressing smoothly, according to KARI.

Through this first launch, KARI will verify the performance of Nuriho by deploying a 1.5-ton satellite mock-up into a 700 km altitude sun-synchronous orbit. Additionally, on May 19 next year, the second launch will simultaneously carry a satellite mock-up (1.3 tons) and a performance verification satellite (0.2 tons) into orbit as an experiment.

The National Space Committee reviewed the launch plan and permit application submitted by KARI, checked the progress and preparations related to the launch, and confirmed that there were no issues. The committee also verified that KARI's launch purpose did not violate space treaties such as the peaceful use of outer space, and that a launch safety control plan and flight safety system were established to ensure safety. Furthermore, it was confirmed that KARI subscribed to liability insurance covering up to 200 billion KRW in damages in case of an accident.

Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hye-sook, who chaired the meeting, stated, "The October launch of Nuriho will mark a milestone in the history of domestic space development," and added, "We will actively support researchers to devote their best efforts to research and development until the very end."

Meanwhile, Nuriho is the first domestically produced space launch vehicle, developed starting in March 2010 to secure independent space transportation capability. A total of 1.9572 trillion KRW has been invested, and the project will conclude with the second launch next May. The government passed a budget plan for four additional launch vehicle developments through a preliminary feasibility study in June for the second phase, but the budget for performance enhancement and upgrade projects was put on hold.

Nuriho has no boosters and only combines four 75-ton liquid engines, producing a total thrust of just 300 tons. The payload capacity for satellites and other cargo is limited to 1.5 tons, and the target orbit altitude is relatively low at 600-800 km. It uses a kerosene-based open-cycle engine, which emits a large amount of pollutants and has low efficiency. It is considered a 'prototype' level ahead of full-scale space development.

Compared to countries like the United States and China, which are developing large-scale space rockets over 100 meters long capable of carrying tens of tons for Mars and lunar exploration, South Korea is still a beginner with a long way to go. The government initially planned to upgrade Nuriho to carry an orbital probe to the moon by 2030. However, the Ministry of Science and ICT's own feasibility study did not reflect the abolition of the Korea-US missile agreement in the upgrade plan, and voices calling for a 'quantum jump' level performance improvement led to the plan being rejected.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.