[Nuriho 3rd Launch] The Fateful 19-Minute Flight... What Are the Success Criteria?

1138-Second Intense Mission Execution
Success Requires Normal Flight and Satellite Orbit Insertion
Success Announcement Around 7:40 PM

"The fateful 19-minute flight has begun."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Korea's first independently developed space launch vehicle, Nuriho's 3rd launch vehicle, was launched at 6:24 PM on the 25th from Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula. About 2 minutes (125 seconds) after launch, the 3rd Nuriho launch vehicle ascends to an altitude of 64.5 km and separates the first stage. After 234 seconds, the fairing (cargo bay cover) is jettisoned, and after 272 seconds, the second stage is separated. If it safely reaches an altitude of 550 km and maintains a speed of 7.5 km/s, the main payload, the next-generation small satellite 2, will be ejected first 783 seconds after launch. Then, at 20-second intervals, the onboard commercial CubeSats will be separated one by one. The flight will end after 1,138 seconds from liftoff when all four SNIPE satellites developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute are safely separated.

During the approximately 18 minutes and 58 seconds of flight after launch, a hectic mission must be carried out. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) consider the successful separation of the 1st and 2nd stages, fairing separation, and proper ejection of the onboard satellites as the criteria for the success of the 3rd launch. The final results are expected to be announced around 7:40 PM. The success of communication with each satellite will be disclosed at 11 AM the following day.

Immediately after launch, Nuriho flies in the 170-degree direction south of the Korean Peninsula for safety. The 1st stage is expected to fall into the sea about 430 km from the launch site, the fairing about 1,585 km away, and the 2nd stage about 2,804 km away. Tracking of Nuriho is handled by tracking radars and telemetry antennas at Naro Space Center and Jeju Island, respectively. In the latter part of the flight, the Palau tracking station takes over. At Naro Space Center, radar capable of tracking up to 3,000 km to confirm real-time location information and telemetry equipment that can monitor flight trajectory, operation, and status up to 2,000 km are installed.

Meanwhile, the area around the Nuriho launch site has been restricted since the 23rd. On land, civilians are prohibited within a 3 km radius from the center of the launch pad, and at sea, within a 24 km wide and 78 km long flight direction corridor. For aircraft safety, flight operations are banned in an airspace 44 km wide and 95 km long along the flight path.

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