Science Rocket~Nuriho '30 Years of South Korea's Space Development'... Presidential Records Released

30 Original Presidential Records Released on Space Development Mid-to-Long-Term Plan, Nuriho Development, and Astronaut Dispatch

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Presidential Archives announced on the 3rd that it will release presidential records related to ‘space development’ on the Presidential Archives website starting from the 4th, in line with the successful launch of the ‘Nuriho’ on June 21 and the launch of the lunar probe ‘Danuriho’ on the 5th.

The space development records to be released this time are divided into four themes: ‘space development policy,’ ‘early satellite development and space center construction,’ ‘Korea’s astronaut dispatch,’ and ‘development of Naroho and Nuriho.’ These records introduce space development efforts over the past 30 years, from the launch of the scientific rocket in 1993 to the launch of Nuriho in 2022.

Korea’s space development policy began with the ‘Plan for Fostering the Aerospace Industry in Preparation for the 21st Century’ drafted in 1993. This plan was a document reported to the president by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (established in 1989), setting a goal to enter the world’s top 10 aerospace industries by the 2000s. Regarding the space industry, it included developing multipurpose low Earth orbit satellite technology to join the ranks of the space industry.

The nation’s first space development plan at the national level was the ‘Mid- to Long-Term Basic Plan for Space Development’ (1996). This plan, reported to the president by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, included investing 4.8 trillion won and deploying 4,000 experts (2,500 in satellite fields, 500 in launch vehicle fields, and 1,000 in space utilization fields) over the next 20 years to develop 19 scientific rockets and space launch vehicles.

In the 2000s, the goal was set to develop a lunar probe satellite to be independently launched from Korean soil using Korean launch vehicles, aiming to become the world’s 7th leading space power with core technologies in satellites and space launch vehicles.

The development plans for Korea’s first space launch vehicle, Naroho (2013), and the Korean launch vehicle Nuriho (2022) can also be seen. The Naroho development project report is a document reported to the president by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in 2012, including the background and achievements of Korea-Russia technical cooperation, especially the identification of failure causes, contentious issues, and improvement and supplementation plans based on these findings.

After the success of Naroho, the government promoted the development of the Korean launch vehicle (Nuriho), and related details can be found in the ‘Status and Future Plans for Korean Launch Vehicle Development’ (2016). This plan was prepared by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for review by the National Space Committee, a presidential advisory body, and includes investing 1.9572 trillion won in three phases from March 2010 to March 2021 to develop space launch vehicle technology capable of placing a 1.5-ton class practical satellite into low Earth orbit.

There are also records related to Korea’s first astronaut dispatch. The record on Korea’s astronaut dispatch project (2006) details the selection of candidates who would board the Russian Soyuz spacecraft in April 2008, arrive at the International Space Station (ISS), communicate with the ground, and perform scientific missions (experiments on physical reactions in microgravity). Additionally, records include Korea’s first space science experiment satellite developed over five years from 1998, the National Space Committee established following the enforcement of the Space Development Promotion Act in 2005, and the construction of a space center to independently launch domestically developed launch vehicles.

Shim Seong-bo, Director of the Presidential Archives, said, “We hope that the presidential records released online this time will help understand the journey and achievements of space development over the past 30 years,” and added, “We will continue to strive to discover timely records and expand services.”

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