Korean Launch Vehicle 'Nuriho 5th' Launch Approved... Scheduled for Late October

Equipped with Ultra-Small Cluster Satellites and Cubesats

The Korean launch vehicle Nuri is erected on the launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do.

The fifth launch of the Korean launch vehicle Nuriho has been approved. The fifth launch of Nuriho is expected to take place in late October. The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) plans to convene a launch committee soon and finalize the exact launch date.

On the 25th, the Korea Aerospace Administration announced that it had held the 10th Space Development Promotion Working Committee in writing and deliberated and resolved the "Launch Permit Screening Results for the Fifth Korean Launch Vehicle." The launch permit review committee, which is composed of both public and private sectors, reviewed for approximately three months the appropriateness of the use of the space launch vehicle, the adequacy of safety management, and the ability to bear liability for compensation in the event of damages.

The goal of this fifth Nuriho launch is to deploy five ultra-small cluster satellites as the primary payload into sun-synchronous orbit, in order to safeguard national security and respond quickly and accurately to various disasters through high-frequency and high-precision observation missions.

In addition, 10 cubesats—each with different purposes such as ionospheric observation, space verification of domestically produced components, and ocean current analysis—will also be deployed into sun-synchronous orbit. On this day, the working committee also deliberated and resolved an adjustment plan to postpone the launch schedule for the Korean Positioning System (KPS) satellites.

Previously, at the fifth working committee meeting held on May 15 last year, it had been resolved to delay the development of the first KPS satellite by 20 months for a revised launch date in September 2029. At this meeting, the committee adjusted the schedule for subsequent satellite launches accordingly. As a result, the goal of deploying a total of eight KPS satellites by 2035 will proceed as planned.

Tae seog Oh, head of the Korea Aerospace Administration, stated, "We will link this fifth Nuriho launch to the continued launches of Nuriho that KASA will pursue in the future, as well as to the development of independent space access capabilities using our own launch vehicles. Even after the launch permit review, we will thoroughly prepare for the launch through the launch management committee and other processes, to ensure the payload satellites are safely delivered into orbit."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.