Nuri's Fifth Launch: All 14 Satellites Establish Contact, Confirming Precision Space Transportation Capability

All nine secondary payload satellites communicate with ground stations... Contact established faster than during the fourth launch
One of 15 satellites fails to separate... Two-way communication with some satellites is still underway

All 14 satellites deployed into space during the Nuri launch vehicle’s fifth flight successfully established communication with ground stations. In particular, the time required to establish contact was shorter than during the fourth launch, once again confirming Nuri’s ability to place satellites into orbit with precision. However, one of the 15 payload satellites failed to separate, leaving the task of improving the reliability of the satellite deployment system.

The Korean launch vehicle Nuri is launched from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, at 12:25 p.m. on the 7th. All 14 satellites deployed successfully during Nuri's fifth launch, including five primary payload satellites and nine secondary payload satellites, established communication with ground stations. Photo courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

The Korea Aerospace Administration and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute announced on October 13 that all nine secondary payload satellites aboard Nuri’s fifth flight, launched from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, at 12:25 p.m. on October 7, had successfully established communication with ground stations. Earlier, the five primary payload satellites, Nos. 2 to 6 of the Nanosatellite Cluster Mission, had also made initial contact, meaning all 14 satellites that separated normally had communicated with ground stations.

The secondary payload satellites established contact one after another starting on launch day. GIBISAT, developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), received its first beacon signal at around 1 p.m., about 35 minutes after launch. A beacon is a signal that a satellite uses to report its status, location and other information to a ground station. B-1012, developed by Space LiinTech; Ulysses, developed by the Unmanned Exploration Research Institute; and SD-1 Sat, developed by Space & Bean, succeeded in establishing two-way communication on their first attempts at around 2 p.m.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Space Verification Platform for Indigenous Components and Parts No. 2 also established two-way communication about two hours after launch and completed checks of the satellite bus. The Space Optical Communication Orbit Verification Satellite developed by Chosun University established two-way communication at around 11 p.m. that day and received image data. Daejeon Sat-1, developed by Daejeon Metropolitan City, established two-way communication the following day and confirmed that its solar panels had deployed properly.

Faster Contact... Precise Orbit Insertion and Remaining Challenges

Satellites that took relatively longer to establish contact also succeeded in sending data to ground stations. Sledge, developed by O&V Space, successfully transmitted data on October 9, confirming that its solar panels and antenna had deployed properly. Jack-007, developed by CosmoWorks, and GIBISAT, developed by KAIST, also succeeded in transmitting data. However, Sledge and GIBISAT have yet to complete two-way communication, as they are making additional attempts to send commands from ground stations to the satellites via uplink.

What stands out about this achievement is not only whether communication was successful, but also how long it took to establish contact. The more accurately a satellite is placed into its target orbit, the easier it is for ground stations to predict its position and attempt communication. In this launch, Nuri released the satellites at an altitude of about 576 km, close to the target altitude of 570 km. It deployed multiple satellites in a set sequence and at set intervals, then performed an avoidance maneuver after completing the separation operations to prevent collisions with the satellites.

However, one of the 10 secondary payload satellites aboard Nuri is believed to have failed to separate because the cover of its deployment device did not open. Successful communication with the satellites that separated normally supports the launch vehicle’s precision, but the ability to reliably separate every satellite remains a matter requiring further verification. The satellites that established communication are also expected to begin their full missions after initial operational checks.

Tae seog Oh, head of the Korea Aerospace Administration, said, “During Nuri’s fifth launch, we succeeded in establishing communication with the CubeSats in a much shorter time than during the fourth launch.” He added, “This achievement was made possible by the launch vehicle placing the satellites into their target orbits more accurately and providing more precise satellite location information, and it signifies that the technology has reached a higher level of maturity.”

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