Park Jong-chan, director of the Korean Launch Vehicle Enhancement Program at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), said that all inspections are expected to be completed by Monday, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
The Nuri, formally known as Korea Space Launch Vehicle II (KSLV-II), is scheduled to lift off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung at 1 a.m. next Thursday.
“We have connected the third-stage rocket to the first and second stages, and we are carrying out the final electronic inspection on the integrated launch vehicle,” Park said. Once these checks are completed, experts will inspect the exterior and transport the rocket to the launch pad on Tuesday.
The director noted there had been some concerns as the project is being carried out jointly with Hanwha Aerospace Co., with the private firm handling the entire assembly process.
"And we conducted many inspections to remove such concerns," Park said.
In July, the South Korean defense and space company signed a 24 billion-won (US$16.4 million) contract to acquire technologies related to the homegrown Nuri space rocket from KARI.
The transfer was part of the government's long-term plan to hand over space technologies to the private sector.
"Following the contract, we have been sharing data (with Hanwha)," he said.
Under the agreement, Hanwha Aerospace received technologies covering the entire lifecycle of launch vehicle development, including design, manufacturing and launch operations.
With this contract, Hanwha Aerospace has secured the exclusive rights to manufacture and launch the Nuri rocket through 2032.
