"Doyosat No.3 Dasol-i, Signal Received but Ejection Failed"

Ministry of Science and ICT to Release Final Analysis Results on the 23rd
"Nuriho 3rd Launch Successfully Completed Mission as Planned"
Next-Generation Launch Vehicle Research Director Also Selected

On the 26th of last month, the government confirmed the final success of the third launch of the Korean indigenous launch vehicle Nuriho. Regarding the 'missing' Toyosat-3 (Dasol), it was analyzed that the ejection signal was transmitted normally, but the door did not open for unknown reasons. The research director for the next-generation launch vehicle development project, which will surpass Nuriho and be used for lunar exploration, was also selected.

On the morning of the 23rd, the Ministry of Science and ICT held a Space Launch Vehicle Project Promotion Committee meeting to discuss the final analysis results of the third Nuriho launch and to review and confirm the selection results (proposal) for the research director of the next-generation launch vehicle development project.

The committee first discussed the telemetry analysis results of the third Nuriho launch flight information and reconfirmed the final success. All systems related to the launch mission execution, including trajectory, attitude, engine, electronic devices, and control, operated normally as designed, and ground equipment such as the launch pad and tracking radar also functioned properly, completing all planned missions.

In the case of Toyosat-3, it was determined that the satellite was not ejected because the satellite ejection bay door did not open, and detailed data was analyzed. Comparing the flight data analysis with the data recorded during the function check process when the satellite was loaded into the ejection bay, it was confirmed that the ejection command was normally supplied to the satellite ejection bay. There were no issues in the electrical system. However, since the actual hardware cannot currently be inspected, it is expected to be difficult to identify the exact cause of the ejection bay door not opening. To prevent recurrence in the future, various scenarios will be identified, the likelihood of each occurrence reviewed, and verification plans prepared. For items with potential malfunction, supplementary procedures will be carried out.

The committee also selected Cho Jeong as the research director for the next-generation launch vehicle development project on the same day. This project aims to develop a launch vehicle with enhanced performance compared to Nuriho, to be used for launching large satellites and lunar exploration, with a total budget of 2.0132 trillion KRW over 10 years from 2023 to 2032. After a public recruitment and first evaluation by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), seven candidates were selected, and among them, Park Chang-su, the current head of the Launch Vehicle System Integration Research Division at KARI’s Launch Vehicle Research Center, was chosen as the top scorer.

Jo Seon-hak, Director of the Large-scale Space Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “Based on the experience and data from the third Nuriho launch, we will successfully prepare for the repeated launches of Nuriho 4th to 6th. The next-generation launch vehicle development project is an important initiative that can elevate South Korea’s space development capabilities to the next level. We hope that the newly appointed research director will lead the effort to expand South Korea’s space territory over the next 10 years, and the government will actively support this endeavor.”

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