Nuri rocket launch set for mid-May to late-June

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II, or Nuri, takes off from Naro Space Center in Goheung County, South Jeolla, on June 21. [JOINT PRESS CORP]

Korea will launch the Nuri rocket, the country’s first domestically developed launch vehicle, between mid-May and late-June, the Science Ministry said Thursday.

The Ministry of Science and ICT also said the space development promotion committee, chaired by the First Vice Minister Oh Tae-seog, will hold a third meeting on Friday.

Agenda items for the meeting include the space development promotion strategy for 2023, the Nuri rocket launch and the establishment of the private rocket launch approval process.

The government plans to pour 874.2 billion won ($671 million) into space development this year, up 19.5 percent compared to last year, according to the Science Ministry.

That budget includes 586.2 billion won to be spent in the space industry, up 49.1 percent from last year.

Outlays for space security also increased by 51.5 percent to 95.4 billion won.

The space development promotion committee will assess the Nuri launch plan during the Friday meeting as well.

If approved as planned, the Nuri rocket, or Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II), will be launched between mid-May and late-June.

It will be the Nuri rocket’s third launch so far, after the first in Oct. 2021 and the second last June.

The launch date will be announced in April.

Unlike the previous two test launches, the Nuri rocket will carry an actual satellite instead of a dummy payload this time.

Moreover, the committee will approve the development plan for the KSLV-III, the next-generation launch vehicle.

The KSLV-III will be a two-stage rocket capable of delivering 10-ton payload into suborbital space, whereas the Nuri rocket has a 3.3-ton capacity.

The KSLV-III will project will run from 2023 to 2032 with a budget of 2 trillion won.

The Science Ministry said that it plans to set up a guideline and approval process for private rocket launches amid the expansion of the private space sector.

Innospace, a local space start-up, recently launched Korea’s first privately developed test rocket in a suborbital test in Brazil, as Korea does not operate a launch site for private companies.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]