South Korea's Nuri rocket deploys five satellites for first microsatellite constellation

The 200-ton Nuri lifted off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, about 400 kilometers south of Seoul, at 12:25 p.m. and completed its flight about 20 minutes later. It deployed the primary payload of five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) microsatellites and released nine of its 10 CubeSat secondary payloads as planned, according to KASA. The fifth flight marked Nuri’s first attempt to sequentially deploy multiple primary satellites designed to perform the same mission, demonstrating a key capability needed to launch and operate satellite constellations.

The five NEONSATs, Nos. 2 through 6, separated 35 to 40 seconds apart, with the rocket’s upper stage rotating about 45 degrees between each separation. KASA said the five NEONSAT satellites successfully established initial contact with South Korea’s King Sejong Station in Antarctica shortly before 6 p.m. Nine CubeSats were deployed in pairs at 10-second intervals, but PERSAT-02, developed by South Korean startup Quaternion, failed to separate from the rocket, according to KASA. After releasing the satellites, Nuri performed a collision-avoidance maneuver and vented its remaining fuel. The rocket will remain in orbit before eventually reentering Earth’s atmosphere and burning up.

The mission was Nuri’s fifth launch overall and its fourth consecutive success after its maiden flight failed in 2021, raising its overall launch success rate from 75 percent to 80 percent. KASA Administrator Oh Tae-seok said the success further enhanced the rocket’s reliability. “The successful deployment of the satellite constellation demonstrated (South Korea’s) more advanced space transportation capability, enabling a range of missions to be carried out in line with customers’ desired orbits and schedules,” Oh said.

Each NEONSAT weighs less than 100 kilograms and carries an electro-optical camera capable of distinguishing objects as small as 1 meter in black-and-white images and 4 meters in color images. The satellites will monitor the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas for national security and disaster response. The NEONSAT constellation will eventually consist of 10 satellites. Another five will be launched aboard Nuri’s sixth flight scheduled for the latter half of 2027 to complete the constellation, Oh said. Once fully operational, the constellation will be capable of imaging the Korean Peninsula more than three times a day and revisiting the same location within 24 hours.

Wednesday’s flight also marked a further shift from a government-led research and development program centered on the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute toward a more industry-led model. Hanwha Aerospace, which has received Nuri-related technology from KARI, was responsible for manufacturing the rocket for the fifth launch and also participated in launch operations. Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon hailed the fifth launch as “another milestone” for South Korea’s space industry, citing the successful deployment of multiple satellites for a constellation and the growing role of private companies in the country’s space program. Bae pledged continued government support for additional launches led by the private sector as South Korea seeks to shift from a government-led space development model toward a more commercially driven industry.

President Lee Jae Myung watched a live broadcast of the launch from his office at Cheong Wa Dae with aides, including Lee Hai-min, senior presidential secretary for artificial intelligence policy and future planning, presidential spokesperson Kim Sung-wan said. “This is the result of the government’s active support for space launches,” Lee said, according to the spokesperson. “Shorten intervals between future launches to accelerate advances in satellite technology.” Lee also posted a message on social media platform X, saying South Korea has come “one step closer to space sovereignty.” The microsatellite constellation will contribute to South Korea’s national security and disaster responses by monitoring the country more frequently, he wrote. The spokesperson noted that Lee has dramatically increased aid for domestic businesses making inroads in the commercial space transportation market, while earmarking an additional 3.28 billion won (US$2.45 million) that led to five more launches being scheduled through 2032.

Editor's Summary

South Korea’s Nuri rocket completed its fifth flight and deployed five NEONSAT satellites for the country’s first domestically launched microsatellite constellation, though one CubeSat failed to separate. KASA said the success raised Nuri’s launch success rate to 80 percent, while President Lee Jae Myung called for faster progress in satellite technology. Five more NEONSAT satellites are planned for a Nuri flight in the latter half of 2027.