Goheung: South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket is set to carry 15 satellites during its fifth launch next month, marking a significant milestone in the country's space endeavors. The launch will include five satellites that will form part of the nation's first domestically launched microsatellite constellation, as announced by the space agency on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the launch is scheduled for October 7, between 12:23 p.m. and 1:23 p.m., from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, approximately 330 kilometers south of Seoul. The exact launch time will be determined on the day of the event, as stated by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA).
The mission's payload consists of five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) as the primary payload and 10 CubeSats as secondary payloads. The combined weight of the NEONSATs is about 500 kilograms, while the CubeSats weigh approximately 96 kilograms.
This mission will be Nuri's inaugural attempt to sequentially deploy multiple satellites performing the same mission into orbit. To avoid collisions, the five NEONSATs will be released in different directions with intervals ranging between 35 to 40 seconds.
Park Jae-sung, head of KASA's space transportation division, highlighted during a press briefing in Seoul that the fifth launch of the Nuri rocket represents South Korea's first satellite constellation launch mission. He noted that this endeavor will serve as a turning point for the country's satellite development, ushering in an era of mass production and constellation operations.
Each NEONSAT is equipped with an electro-optical camera designed to capture images for national security and disaster response. This includes monitoring events such as wildfires and floods.
The NEONSAT constellation is planned to eventually consist of 10 satellites operating across two orbital planes. Following the launch of the first five satellites, an additional five will be deployed during Nuri's sixth launch in 2027 to complete the constellation.
Once fully operational, the constellation will be capable of imaging the Korean Peninsula more than three times daily, with the ability to revisit a specific location within 24 hours.
KASA assured that preparations are proceeding as planned and pledged close cooperation with relevant agencies to ensure a successful launch.
The satellites were mounted on Nuri's upper stage on Monday, with final assembly scheduled to be completed later this month. Last inspections are planned through October 5, after which the rocket will be transported to the launchpad on the following day, as reported by KASA.