The Nuri rocket, South Korea's launch vehicle, is set to embark on its fifth space mission on the 7th. It will carry a record 15 satellites, including five ultra-small cluster satellites known as NeonSats and ten CubeSats, aiming to deploy them sequentially into their target orbits.
On the morning of the 6th, the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced that the Nuri rocket had been erected at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeonnam.
After completing stabilization work, the Nuri rocket is currently undergoing umbilical connections and leak checks for power and propellant (fuel and oxidizer) charging. KASA and KARI plan to finish the installation of the Nuri rocket at the launch pad by around 6:45 PM on the same day.
On the morning of the 7th, KASA and KARI will hold a launch management committee meeting to finalize the launch time. The current launch window is set from 12:23 PM to 1:23 PM on the 7th, with a backup launch period from the 8th to the 14th.
The primary mission of this launch is to place five cluster satellites and ten CubeSats into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 570 kilometers.
After liftoff from the Naro Space Center, the Nuri rocket will separate its first stage at an altitude of 67 kilometers, 2 minutes and 3 seconds after launch. The payload fairing, which protects the satellites, will be jettisoned at 3 minutes and 53 seconds at an altitude of 224 kilometers, followed by the second stage separation at 4 minutes and 28 seconds at an altitude of 277 kilometers. The third stage engine will shut down at an altitude of 575 kilometers, 12 minutes and 41 seconds after liftoff.
Starting at 13 minutes and 30 seconds after launch, the Nuri rocket will sequentially deploy the ultra-small cluster satellites, beginning with the second satellite and concluding with the sixth satellite at 16 minutes after liftoff. The satellites will exit the Nuri rocket at altitudes between 575 and 576 kilometers.
The key objective of this launch is to safely deploy the five NeonSat cluster satellites into their target orbits. KARI will adjust the Nuri rocket's attitude to prevent satellite collisions during the sequential deployment, and post-deployment, the satellites will perform collision avoidance maneuvers. The NeonSats are tasked with precise observation of key areas related to national security and capturing images of disaster-stricken regions.
The ten CubeSats will be deployed in pairs at 10-second intervals between 16 minutes and 35 seconds and 17 minutes and 15 seconds after liftoff. The first two to be deployed will be CosmoWorks' 'JACK-007' and Chosun University's 'CPSat.'
They will be followed by O&V Space's 'SLEDGE' and KAIST's 'GBSAT,' Quaternion's 'PERSAT' and the Unmanned Exploration Research Institute's 'UFL-Y-Sys,' Space & B's 'SD-1SAT' and KARI's 'E3T.' Finally, Daejeon's 'DaejeonSat-1' and SpaceLink's 'BEE-1012' will complete the CubeSat deployment.
After a flight lasting 19 minutes and 45 seconds, the Nuri rocket will re-enter the atmosphere and disintegrate. KASA plans to announce the results of the Nuri rocket launch around 2 PM on the 7th, approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes after the launch.
Wind conditions, previously considered a variable, are currently calm. During the second Nuri launch, winds of about 10 meters per second delayed the launch by a day. A launch must be postponed if the average ground wind speed exceeds 15 meters per second or if the peak gust exceeds 21 meters per second. A KARI official stated, "Unlike in the early morning, the winds are calm now, and operations are proceeding smoothly."
The fifth launch of the Nuri rocket is expected to serve as a platform for validating private launch technology transfer. Hanwha Aerospace, a system integration company, is participating in about 75% of the launch control system, with 44 personnel involved, an increase of 14 from the fourth launch. Starting from the sixth launch, the system integration company will directly operate the entire ground control system, excluding technology transfer items, and will lead the launch from the eighth launch onward.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho, KASA Administrator Oh Tae-seok, and researchers from KASA and KARI are expected to attend the launch site on the 7th to witness the success of the Nuri rocket's mission.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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