Successful 4th Launch of Nuri Heralds the New Space Era

The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA, Administrator Yoon Youngbin) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI, President Lee Sang-ryul) announced the successful fourth launch of the Korean Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-II, Nuri), a rocket independently developed to secure the nation's sovereign space transportation capability. The launch was carried out with the keen interest and support of the public.

Nuri lifted off today at 01:13:00 KST. KARI’s initial analysis of the telemetry data (wireless transmission of flight details data from remote sources) confirms that Nuri successfully separated and deployed the Compact Advanced Satellite 500-3 (CAS500-3) and 12 Cube Satellites into their target orbit (600km).

The Nuri rocket followed its pre-determined flight sequence, with all flight processes proceeding normally after launch. All critical flight events−including the successful combustion of the Nuri’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stage engines and the fairing separation−were executed flawlessly, culminating in the successful deployment of all 13 payloads: CAS500-3 and the 12 Cube Satellites.

At approximately 01:55 KST, the CAS500-3 established its first communication with the King Sejong Station in Antarctica, confirming the satellite's nominal status, including the deployment of its solar panels. The 12 Cube Satellites will proceed with sequential communications with their ground stations at their respective pre-set contact window to confirm their status.

Following the successful second and third launches, this consecutive fourth success significantly enhances Nuri's reliability and, by securing independent space transportation capability, reaffirms the Republic of Korea’s sovereign capacity for national space development. Furthermore, this success holds significant meaning as it was a collaborative effort between the public and private sectors. Hanwha Aerospace, the system integrator, oversaw the manufacturing and assembly of the launch vehicle and participated in the launch operations led by KARI.

KASA Administrator Yoon emphasized “The government plans to further strengthen Republic of Korea's space development capabilities by launching Nuri two more times by 2027 while simultaneously pursuing the development of the next generation launch vehicle (KSLV-Ⅲ), which will offer enhanced performance compared to Nuri.” And “My sincere gratitude goes out to the public for their support, and to the KARI staff and industry personnel who tirelessly worked and spared no effort for the success of this fourth Nuri launch.”