Behind Nuriho's Success: Technology from 300 Domestic Companies... Towards the 'Private Space Era' [Nuriho Success]

The Korean launch vehicle Nuriho (KSLV-II), designed and manufactured entirely with domestic technology, is soaring into space with flames erupting from the launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do on the 21st. Unlike the first launch, which carried only a dummy satellite with no actual functionality, the second launch of Nuriho this time included a performance verification satellite and four CubeSats. / Goheung = Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] Behind the success of the Korean launch vehicle 'Nuriho' (KSLV-II) project was the investment of domestic companies.

According to the industry on the 21st, more than 300 domestic private companies participated in the development of Nuriho, which was carried out entirely with purely domestic technology in all processes including design, manufacturing, testing, and launch. These companies contributed to the success of Nuriho by participating in the entire project process, from engine manufacturing to system assembly and launch pad construction, based on their specialized expertise.

The space industry, which requires astronomical costs and advanced technology, has mainly been led by the government in Korea so far, but the success of the Nuriho launch is expected to accelerate the transition to a private-led space industry era.

KAI in charge of assembly · Hanwha Aerospace in charge of engines

According to the government and industry, the Nuriho development project, which started in March 2010, was conducted in a public-private cooperation method that actively utilized the technology, manpower, and infrastructure possessed by domestic companies from the early stages of development.

More than 300 domestic private companies participated in the Nuriho project. They worked closely with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, the lead organization of the Nuriho project, taking on key roles such as engines, launch pads, and system assembly.

Representative participating companies include Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which was responsible for the overall system assembly of Nuriho, and Hanwha Aerospace, which was responsible for engine assembly.

KAI has been involved in the Nuriho project since 2014, taking charge of the overall system assembly of Nuriho. It oversees the assembly of products supplied by over 300 companies. KAI also manufactured the first-stage fuel tank and oxidizer tank of Nuriho. The 75-ton class liquid rocket engine supplied by Hanwha Aerospace is a core component that launches Nuriho into space, designed to withstand all extreme conditions while the launch vehicle overcomes gravity and reaches orbit.

Hanwha Aerospace began delivering the 75-ton class engine for Nuriho in March 2016 and has produced a total of 46 engines, including 34 units of the 75-ton class engine and 12 units of the 7-ton class engine. The engines to be used for the third Nuriho launch have already been completed.

Launch pad construction by Hyundai Heavy Industries... "80% of total project cost goes to industry"

Hyundai Heavy Industries, based on its experience building the 'Naroho' (KSLV-I) launch pad in 2013, took charge of constructing the Korean launch vehicle launch pad for the Nuriho project.

While the previous Naroho was a two-stage launch vehicle with a total length of 33.5m and a weight of 140 tons, Nuriho is a larger three-stage launch vehicle with a total length of 47.2m and a weight of 200 tons, making the existing launch pad unusable.

Accordingly, Hyundai Heavy Industries built a dedicated second launch pad for Nuriho in Goheung County, Jeollanam-do, over about four years and six months from 2016 to last year. They also constructed a 48-meter high umbilical tower that supplies fuel to Nuriho.

Hyundai Heavy Industries explained that they raised the localization rate of the launch pad system process technology to 100% in this Nuriho project. Additionally, Hyundai Rotem contributed by establishing test facilities for the Nuriho propulsion system and supply system, enabling stable performance testing before launch.

Besides these, there are about 30 leading companies participating in key fields such as ▲ system integration (Yukon System, KAP Micro, etc., 6 companies) ▲ propulsion/engine (SNH, Bitsronex Tech, etc., 9 companies) ▲ structure (Duwon Heavy Industries, S&K Aviation, etc., 9 companies) ▲ guidance control/electronics (Space Solution, Duksan Nepcores, etc., 7 companies) ▲ thermal/aerodynamics (Hanyang ENG, GV Engineering, etc., 3 companies).

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