Nara Space Succeeds in Communication with Space Verification Satellite Aboard Fourth Nuri Launch

Full-Scale Performance Verification of Domestic Semiconductors and Electronic Components in Space
Demonstrating Competitiveness in the Private Space Industry

Nara Space, a global small satellite company, announced on December 8 that it had successfully established two-way communication with the space verification satellite 'E3T (EEETester) No. 1,' which was launched aboard the fourth Nuri rocket. Following successful communication with GyeonggiSat-1, launched on November 29, the company achieved contact with both satellites within a two-day interval, once again demonstrating its satellite manufacturing and operational capabilities.

E3T is a technology demonstration satellite designed to verify the performance of domestically developed semiconductors, electronic devices, and components for space use in actual space environments. It was produced as part of the 'Space Verification Support Project for Domestic Devices and Components,' implemented by the Korea Aerospace Administration and overseen by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Nara Space was responsible for developing the 12U platform body.

A Nara Space researcher inspecting the space verification satellite 'E3T'. Photo by Nara Space

The E3T satellite is equipped with 13 types of domestically produced components from three organizations: Samsung Electronics' DRAM and NAND flash, an analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converter ASIC developed by the Mixed Signal Integrated Circuit Laboratory at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and SRAM manufactured by MID. Of these, eight components were space-grade parts localized by the Korea Aerospace Administration in 2024.

Over the next six to twelve months, the satellite will periodically measure the performance of its components in extreme space environments, such as radiation and temperature fluctuations, and transmit the data to the ground. This data will be used to propose a 'standard platform for space component verification' in the future, and it is already being evaluated that the platform's reliability has been initially validated at this early stage of operation.

With the consecutive successful communications with the two satellites, Nara Space plans to demonstrate its capability to operate multi-satellite constellations and to accelerate the commercialization of high-performance platform products. Kim Geuknam, Head of System Integration at Nara Space, stated, "E3T was designed to accommodate a variety of missions beyond a single experimental purpose," adding, "This mission has secured heritage for standard platform development, which will drive market differentiation."

Park Jaepil, CEO of Nara Space, emphasized, "Although this was a challenging mission requiring the verification of domestic components in actual space, the platform performed its role reliably," and added, "This achievement will become a core technological asset in the upcoming era of a private sector-led space industry."

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