[Nuriho 3rd Launch] "Mission Accomplished... Toyosat 1 Unit 'Under Confirmation'" (Comprehensive)

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT Declares '3rd Launch Success'
One of the Four Toyosat Satellites Not Confirmed in Orbit

The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that the Nuriho 3rd launch vehicle, launched on the afternoon of the 25th, successfully completed its mission.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, around 7:50 PM, Minister Lee Jong-ho held a press conference at the Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, stating, "The third launch of the independently developed Nuriho to secure domestic space transportation capability was successfully completed amid the interest and support of the public."

According to Minister Lee, the Nuriho 3rd launch vehicle, launched at 6:24 PM that day, reached the target orbit of 550 km and successfully separated the main payload satellite, the Next-generation Small Satellite 2, and six CubeSats about 19 minutes after launch, deploying them into orbit. However, among the four Toyosat satellites, the first of the six ejected has not yet had its success confirmed. The minister explained, "A little more time is needed to verify the success of the ejection."

Among them, the Next-generation Small Satellite 2 was confirmed to have received satellite signals from the Antarctic King Sejong Station about 40 minutes after launch, verifying its successful deployment into orbit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister Lee said, "Following the success of the second launch in June last year, this mission served as an opportunity to confirm the flight performance of Nuriho, secure reliability, and once again verify our potential not only in launch services but also in various satellite operations and space exploration." He added, "The launch vehicle faithfully performed its primary role of satellite launch, advancing related technologies and operational capabilities, and it is also significant that Hanwha Aerospace, a system integration company, participated in the launch operation."

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to conduct three more flights by 2027 through the Korean launch vehicle advancement project to enhance the technical stability of Nuriho. Additionally, based on the experience and technology gained from manufacturing and launching Nuriho, they plan to develop a next-generation launch vehicle with more than three times the performance and launch a lunar landing probe in the 2030s.

Minister Lee emphasized, "We will promote the development of a next-generation launch vehicle with improved performance over Nuriho to secure international competitiveness," and added, "We will lay the foundation for the new space era by enabling related companies and research institutions to undertake various attempts and business models."

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