Nuri rocket set for 5th launch to place 15 satellites into orbit
Summary
South Korea’s homegrown Nuri rocket will launch from the Naro Space Center in Goheung around 12:25 p.m. Wednesday, carrying 15 satellites. The payload includes five NEONSAT microsatellites and 10 CubeSats. The mission will begin building South Korea’s first domestically launched microsatellite constellation for monitoring the Korean Peninsula and supporting national security and disaster response. Five more NEONSATs are scheduled for Nuri’s sixth flight next year.
Key Facts
- The satellites will begin deploying at an altitude of around 575 kilometers between 810 and 960 seconds after liftoff.
- Each NEONSAT weighs less than 100 kilograms and can distinguish objects as small as 1 meter in black-and-white images and 4 meters in color images.
- The five NEONSATs will be released 35 to 40 seconds apart, while the 10 CubeSats will be deployed two at a time at 10-second intervals.
- Once all 10 satellites are operational, the NEONSAT constellation will be able to image the Korean Peninsula more than three times daily and revisit the same location within 24 hours.
- The Korea Aerospace Research Institute will track the flight from facilities in South Korea and Palau in the western Pacific.
The Nuri rocket is erected at the launchpad in the Naro Space Center in Goheung in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Research Institute
South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket is set for its fifth launch Wednesday, carrying 15 satellites, including five that will form part of the country's first domestically launched microsatellite constellation.
The launch is scheduled for around 12:25 p.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, with the exact time to be decided later in the morning, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA).
The payload consists of five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) microsatellites and 10 CubeSats.
About four hours before liftoff, the launch team will begin filling the three-stage rocket with kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer after completing system checks.
Nuri's first and second stages will separate about 123 and 268 seconds after liftoff, respectively, with satellite deployment beginning between 810 and 960 seconds at an altitude of around 575 kilometers.
The five NEONSATs, Nos. 2 through 6, will be deployed at intervals of 35 to 40 seconds, with Nuri's upper stage rotating by about 45 degrees between each separation to prevent collisions. The 10 CubeSats will then be deployed two at a time at 10-second intervals.
After releasing all 15 satellites, Nuri will perform a collision-avoidance maneuver and vent its remaining fuel, completing its flight about 20 minutes after liftoff. The rocket will then remain in orbit before eventually reentering Earth's atmosphere and burning up.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute will track the flight from facilities in South Korea and Palau in the western Pacific.
The fifth flight will mark Nuri's first attempt to sequentially deploy multiple primary satellites designed to perform the same mission.
Each NEONSAT weighs less than 100 kilograms and carries an electro-optical camera capable of distinguishing objects as small as 1 meter in black-and-white images and 4 meters in color images.
The satellites will monitor the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas for national security and disaster response.
The NEONSAT constellation will eventually consist of 10 satellites. Another five will be launched aboard Nuri's sixth flight scheduled for next year to complete the constellation.
Once fully operational, the constellation will be capable of imaging the Korean Peninsula more than three times a day and revisiting the same location within 24 hours.
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