[Nuri's Fifth Launch] Successful, but... "Commercial Launch Services Must First Build Greater Reliability"

Five Primary Payload Satellites Deployed into Target Orbit... Fourth Consecutive Success Since Second Launch
Korea Aerospace Administration: "More Successes Needed to Reach 90% Reliability"... Hanwha: "Mass Production and Cost Reduction Also Remain Challenges"

[Naro Space Center, Goheung, South Jeolla Province = The Asia Business Daily Reporter Kim Jonghwa] South Korea’s homegrown launch vehicle Nuri successfully completed its fifth flight, marking four consecutive successful launches since its second launch. It also carried out a high-difficulty mission for the first time: carrying five primary payload satellites together and deploying them sequentially into their designated orbits.

However, the government and private sector said that before Nuri can transition to commercial launch services carrying satellites for actual customers, it will need to build greater reliability through repeated launches and adapt its manufacturing and operational systems to support multiple launches.

The Korean launch vehicle Nuri is seen soaring into space with flames blazing from Launch Pad 2 at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, at 12:25 p.m. on the 7th. On its fifth flight that day, Nuri entered its target orbit and successfully deployed its primary payload, five microsatellites. Provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

The Korea Aerospace Administration, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, and Hanwha Aerospace officially announced the success of Nuri’s fifth launch at a briefing held on the afternoon of October 7 at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province.

Nuri lifted off from Launch Pad 2 at the Naro Space Center at 12:25 p.m. on October 7. After sequentially separating its first stage, fairing, and second stage, it entered its target sun-synchronous orbit. All five primary payload satellites, the Nanosatellite Cluster Satellites 2 through 6, were successfully deployed. At around 1:08 p.m., Nanosatellite Cluster Satellite 6 also successfully established its first contact with the ground station at the King Sejong Station in Antarctica.

However, one of the 10 CubeSats carried aboard, PERSAT, developed by Quaternion, was not deployed. Nuri sent the deployment command as intended, but the cover of the deployment mechanism apparently failed to open. The Korea Aerospace Administration and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute will conduct further analysis to determine the exact cause.

The key success criterion for this launch was to place five Nanosatellite Cluster Satellites within ±15 km of the target altitude of 570 km. Nuri met the criterion by sequentially deploying the five satellites at an altitude of about 576 km.

Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) chief Tae seog Oh announces the results of the fifth Nuri launch at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, on the 7th. Nuri successfully completed its fifth launch, reaching its target orbit and deploying all five of its primary payloads, a cluster of microsatellites. Photo by Kim Jonghwa

Four Consecutive Successes, but “We Are Still Building Reliability”

During its first launch in 2021, Nuri failed to place a satellite simulator into its target orbit because its third-stage engine shut down earlier than planned. It then succeeded in its second launch in 2022, as well as its third and fourth launches, and now its fifth, achieving four consecutive successful launches.

However, speakers at the briefing on October 7 said Nuri needs a longer track record of successful launches before it can transition to privately led commercial launch services.

Asked what standards would indicate that private companies had developed the technical and operational capabilities to lead launches, the Korea Aerospace Administration cited the need to establish reliability above all through repeated launches.

Nuri has succeeded in four of its five launches to date, giving it a cumulative success rate of 80% by a simple calculation. The Korea Aerospace Administration estimates that the global launch market generally requires a reliability level of around 90%. To exceed a 90% cumulative success rate, including the failure of the first launch, Nuri would need to achieve 11 consecutive successful launches.

A Korea Aerospace Administration official said, “We are currently in the process of making the launch vehicle properly. Only once that is achieved can we move toward launch services that are economically viable. For now, the most important thing is to improve the launch vehicle’s reliability.”

The Korean launch vehicle Nuri lifted off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, at 12:25 p.m. on the 7th and is seen flying through the sky. On its fifth launch, Nuri carried multiple satellites, including five nanosatellites, and entered its target orbit. Courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

As the number of launches increases, the manufacturing process will also need to change. The current manufacturing, testing, and assembly system is based on one launch per year; it will need to become more productive and efficient to support two to three or more launches annually.

Technology transfer will not be complete simply by handing over designs and manufacturing technology to the private sector. Independent launch services will only be possible when private companies have also acquired the experience built up during actual launch preparations and operations, as well as the ability to respond to unexpected situations.

Hanwha Aerospace also cited reliability as the first requirement for commercial launch services. Kim Sun, head of space business at Hanwha Aerospace, said, “The launch vehicle needs to complete six or seven successful launches before it can be insured. Only then can we perform launch services for paying customers. Once the enhancement program is complete, I believe we will be able to establish statistical reliability and move into full-scale commercial launch services.”

Hanwha’s role also expanded further in this launch. While the company led Nuri’s manufacturing and overall assembly through the fourth launch, it broadened its involvement in the fifth to include launch preparations and operations. Hanwha personnel took part at 20 of the 22 launch vehicle-related consoles in the Launch Control Center (LCC), and 18 of them operated consoles directly. Starting with the sixth launch, Hanwha will assemble each stage at its own stage assembly plant, transport them to the Naro Space Center, and carry out the final assembly of the entire launch vehicle on site.

Engine Performance Better Than Expected...First Satellite Separation 15 Seconds Earlier

During this flight, the Nuri’s engine performance fell on the favorable side of the range of variation anticipated at the design stage, bringing the actual flight schedule somewhat forward compared with the original plan.

According to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, the actual engine burn times were about 2 seconds shorter than the pre-established reference values for the first stage, about 4 seconds shorter for the second stage, and about 9 seconds shorter for the third stage. The institute explained that this did not mean the engines themselves had undergone a new performance improvement; rather, the results were favorable within the range of performance variations anticipated from the design stage.

Nuri separated its first stage 121 seconds after liftoff at an altitude of about 66.5 km, and its fairing 231.3 seconds after liftoff at about 227 km. It separated its second stage 262 seconds after liftoff at about 275.7 km, and reached an altitude of 575.4 km after 745.7 seconds.

As a result, the first Nanosatellite Cluster Satellite was deployed earlier than planned. The original plan called for the first satellite to be deployed 810 seconds after liftoff, but the actual separation took place after 795.3 seconds, about 15 seconds ahead of schedule. The five Nanosatellite Cluster Satellites were then deployed sequentially at an altitude of about 576 km.

Safety measures were also taken for the third stage after it completed the satellite deployments. After establishing a safe distance to prevent collisions with the separated satellites, the remaining gas, including oxidizer and helium, inside the third stage was vented. This lowered the pressure inside the third stage after its mission was complete, reducing the risk that it would break apart or explode in orbit and create new space debris.

Kim Sun (center), head of space business at Hanwha Aerospace, answers reporters' questions at a briefing on the results of the fifth Nuri launch at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, on the 7th. Photo by Kim Jonghwa.

Nuri’s next flight, its sixth launch, is scheduled for the second half of 2027. Five Nanosatellite Cluster Satellites will again be carried as the primary payload. The Korea Aerospace Administration is also considering ways to bring the launch date forward as much as possible, taking manufacturing and assembly schedules into account.

For Nuri to move into commercial launch services, it will need not only repeated launches but also improvements in manufacturability and mass-production capability, along with efforts to reduce launch costs.

Kim said, “The most important thing is to establish statistical launch reliability. Once the enhancement program is complete, I believe we will be able to establish statistical reliability and move into full-scale commercial launch services.” He added, “The Korea Aerospace Administration, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, and we are already actively discussing ways to improve Nuri’s manufacturability and mass-production capability, reduce costs, and improve performance.”

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