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Nuri achieves milestone fourth launch, sending 13 satellites to orbit

Published: 27 Nov. 2025, 04:08 Updated: 27 Nov. 2025, 13:40

LEE JAE-LIM
[email protected]

A Nuri space rocket lifts off from Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla, at 1:13 a.m. on Nov. 27. [KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE]

A homegrown Nuri rocket successfully deployed all 13 satellites it carried into orbit early Thursday, with the nation’s space agency confirming that signals were received from the main payload.

Nuri lifted off at 1:13 a.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla. The launch was delayed by 18 minutes due to an abnormal signal in an umbilical retrieval pressure sensor, but the remainder of the process proceeded smoothly.

The 200-ton rocket fulfilled its mission by placing the next-generation medium-sized satellite CAS500-3, along with 12 CubeSats, into their planned 600-kilometer-high (373-mile-high) orbit. The flight wrapped up at 1:31 a.m.

According to the Korea Aerospace Administration, all phases of the launch — including the first-, second-, and third-stage engine burns and fairing separation — occurred as scheduled.

“This successful fourth launch not only reaffirms that Korea has secured independent space-transport capabilities, but also marks the first government-industry joint launch executed as a single team,” Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said during a post-launch briefing. “It represents an important turning point as Korea’s space-industry ecosystem shifts from a government-centered model to one led by the private sector.”

The fourth launch marked several milestones: the largest number of satellites deployed into the target orbit, the first nighttime launch of a main satellite intended for aurora observation and the first time a private company, Hanwha Aerospace, oversaw the entire prelaunch process.

The remaining 12 CubeSats will establish communication with ground stations sequentially according to their designated schedules. They are expected to conduct a wide range of missions, including weather monitoring, medical experiments and space-environment observation.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [[email protected]]