Nuri Assembly Also Shifts to Private Sector... 129 Types of Equipment Moved to Hanwha's Suncheon Plant

Korea Aerospace Research Institute to Transfer Assembly of Stages 1-3 to Private Sector Starting with 2027 Launch No. 6
Final Integration at Naro Space Center; On-Site Technical Support Also Planned

Assembly of the Nuri, South Korea's homegrown launch vehicle, is moving into the private sector in earnest. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute is transferring 129 types of equipment used to assemble the Nuri to Hanwha Aerospace's assembly facility in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province. Starting with the Nuri's sixth launch, scheduled for next year, Hanwha will assemble each stage of the rocket.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute said on October 19 that it had transported 129 types of jigs and fixtures used to assemble the Nuri's stages from the Launch Vehicle Integration Building at the Naro Space Center to Hanwha Aerospace's stage assembly facility in Suncheon. The move is part of an effort to transfer to the private sector the assembly equipment and technology developed during the Nuri's development.

Researchers transport a jig used to assemble a stage of the Nuri rocket at the Naro Space Center of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. Provided by KARI.

Accordingly, starting with the sixth Nuri launch vehicle, scheduled for 2027, the first, second, and third stages will each be assembled in Suncheon. After assembly, the stages will be transported by sea to the Naro Space Center, where they will undergo final vehicle assembly in the Launch Vehicle Integration Building and be joined into a single rocket. Pre-launch inspections and preparations will then follow.

The jigs and fixtures being transferred are 129 of the 204 types of Nuri assembly equipment owned by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute that are needed for stage assembly. The institute will lend the equipment to Hanwha free of charge, while the remaining 75 types will stay at the Naro Space Center for final vehicle assembly.

Jigs and fixtures are equipment used to move rocket components, hold them in a set position, and join them precisely. They help ensure that the launch vehicle's components are accurately aligned and that assembly quality remains consistent.

During the Nuri's development, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute designed and developed the jigs and fixtures in-house to suit the assembly sequence and the characteristics of each process. Using existing equipment at a private assembly facility is expected to reduce the cost and time required to manufacture new equipment and help maintain the precision and quality achieved in the existing assembly process.

Transferring On-Site Assembly Know-How Along with Equipment

On-site technical support will accompany the equipment transfer. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute plans to provide technical oversight and on-site support during Hanwha's stage assembly process, and to pass on its know-how for analyzing the causes of problems that arise during actual work and resolving them.

This move signals that the transition of Nuri production and operations to the private sector is expanding beyond the transfer of equipment and technology to actual assembly work. However, even after stage assembly moves to the private sector, final vehicle assembly, in which the stages are joined into a single launch vehicle, will continue to take place at the Naro Space Center.

"Lending these jigs and fixtures is part of the process of turning the equipment and experience accumulated during the Nuri's development into private-sector launch vehicle assembly capabilities," said Lee Sang-cheol, president of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. "We will continue to provide technical support and share our know-how so that the private sector can assemble the Nuri reliably and build up on-site experience."

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