S. Korea’s homegrown Nuri rocket positioned on launchpad ahead of fourth launch
South Korea’s homegrown space rocket, Nuri, was transported to its launchpad on Tuesday, two days ahead of its scheduled fourth launch, as space authorities completed final preparations.
The 200-ton Nuri was positioned upright at the Naro Space Center in the southern coastal village of Goheung, 473 kilometers south of Seoul, at 1:36 p.m., following transportation from a nearby assembly building earlier in the day, according to the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
The procedure was delayed by 1½ hours in the morning due to weather conditions. The rocket was moved on a specialized vehicle at a slow speed of 1.5 kph.
The space authority will carry out remaining procedures, including preparations to inject fuel and an oxidizer. The installation is expected to continue until late afternoon.
"If we are unable to complete all of the scheduled procedures today, we plan to carry out additional work early on the following day to proceed with the launch operation as planned," KASA said in a release.
Formally called the Korea Space Launch Vehicle II (KSLV-II), the Nuri is still expected to lift off early Thursday as scheduled, the authorities said.
It will mark the fourth launch of the homegrown space rocket, with Hanwha Aerospace Co. having taken charge of the entire assembly process for the first time as part of the government's long-term plan to hand over space technologies to the private sector.
South Korea first launched the Nuri rocket in October 2021, which failed to enter orbit while carrying a 1.5-ton dummy satellite.
In June 2022, South Korea made the second attempt, which successfully put a Performance Verification Satellite (PVSAT) and a 1.3-ton dummy satellite into orbit.
The third launch was held in May 2023 with South Korea successfully putting a next-generation small satellite and seven cube satellites into orbit.
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