According to Yonhap News,

South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri took off from Naro Space Center on Thursday, with the main unit of the 13 satellites deployed successfully establishing communication with King Sejong Station in Antarctica.

The 200-ton Nuri blasted off from the center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung, 473 kilometers south of Seoul, at 1:13 a.m., slightly behind the original plan of 0:55 a.m. due to a sensor issue.

According to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the main satellite, CAS500-3, made communication with South Korea's research center in Antarctica at 1:55 a.m., allowing experts to check the unit's condition.

Researchers will continue to monitor the main satellite through communication with other ground stations, including those in the central city of Daejeon and Norway, space authorities added.

About two minutes after liftoff, Nuri separated the first stage, followed by the second-stage four minutes and 30 seconds into the flight.

After reaching the target altitude of 600 km, Nuri separated the main satellite, along with 12 cube satellites.

Nuri's flight ended at 1:31 a.m., completing its 18-minute mission. It will later reenter Earth's atmosphere due to gravity and disintegrate as it falls.

South Korea first launched the Nuri rocket in October 2021, which failed to enter orbit while carrying a 1.5-ton dummy satellite. In June 2022, the rocket successfully put a Performance Verification Satellite (PVSAT) and a 1.3-ton dummy satellite into orbit.

The third launch was held in May 2023 with South Korea putting a next-generation small satellite and seven cube satellites into orbit.

The latest launch marked the first time for Hanwha Aerospace Co. to oversee the entire assembly process as part of the government's long-term plan to hand over space technologies to the private sector.

South Korea, meanwhile, plans to carry out the fifth launch in 2026, followed by another in 2027.



colin@yna.co.kr
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Source: Yonhap News (November 27, 2025)