The history of challenges toward space continues

Lee Jong-ho

The author is minister of science and ICT.

Once again, the Nuri space rocket soared into the sky, more powerfully and vibrantly than ever. This time, it was accompanied by eight actual satellites destined for space. This achievement is the outcome of relentless pursuit towards new goals, not stopping at the success of last year’s second launch in June.

This launch was not just a test. In the first launch, only a dummy satellite was used, and in the second launch, a performance verification satellite and a dummy satellite were loaded. But this time, our homegrown space launch vehicle took off from our land and accomplished the actual mission of deploying real satellites into the target orbit.

The preparations for the third launch of Nuri were both familiar and new. We had only a single set of successful flight data from the second launch. Moreover, this launch was different from the previous one, as it involved loading real satellites instead of dummies. Designing the capability to launch multiple satellites multiple times, calculating the appropriate thrust and propellant power by considering the weight of the vehicle, and meticulously organizing flight events down to the millisecond were all unprecedented challenges.

The same applied to the loaded satellites. Among the total of eight satellites, the main payload — the Next-generation Small Satellite No.2, developed at the KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center since 2017 and completed last year — was awaiting its integration with Nuri. The Doyosat — developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute — met Nuri while seeking an alternative rocket due to the unavailability of Russian launch vehicles. In addition, CubeSats developed by three small and medium-sized local companies were newly selected to expand opportunities for space validation of domestic corporate satellites following the second launch of Nuri.

The private sector also played a crucial role. Since being selected as a comprehensive enterprise for technology transfer through its participation in the repeated launches of Nuri last year, Hanwha Aerospace has closely collaborated with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute throughout the entire launch process.

They plan to take a leading role in launch operations starting from the third launch and actively participate in the process of launch vehicle production from the fourth launch. This shift from the government-led space development to the private-led industrial ecosystem befitting the New Space era will serve as a cornerstone to fully open up Korea’s space economy.

The culmination of these efforts yielded yet another success with Nuri’s third launch, along with the accumulation of another set of successful data. Even if this launch had not succeeded, we would have gained valuable data from the failure. Whether successful or not, what matters most for the fledgling Korean space launch vehicle is to continuously accumulate experiences toward the vast expanse of space.

Currently, the Ministry of Science and ICT is taking comprehensive measures to establish the space industry ecosystem, including fostering space start-ups, supporting domestic production of space components, building space industry clusters, and promoting the utilization of national satellite information. Furthermore, we are actively participating in the U.S.-led Artemis program which aims to resume lunar exploration by 2025, and we are pushing for the independent development of a lunar lander with the goal of launching around 2030. On top of that, we plan to allocate 433.7 billion won ($326.6 million) this year to support technology development and workforce training, as well as secure budgets to ensure sufficient investment in related fields.

The success of Nuri is engraved with the sweat, passion and efforts of countless researchers and industry professionals. The recent news of failures in space exploration attempts by advanced space-faring nations such as Japan and the United States has alerted us to be more thorough and meticulous in our preparations. In addition, the unwavering support and encouragement from the entire nation, regardless of the outcome, provide a great source of strength to propel us forward in our journey towards space.

At the start of the manned lunar exploration plan — the Apollo project — in 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy said, “We choose to go to the moon [...] not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” The path to space could be as distant and challenging as it sounds. But the government will continue to challenge and venture towards the boundless expanse of space together with a number of scientists and engineers in our country and the public. The history of Korea as a space-faring nation has just unfolded.