Goheung:South Korea's Nuri rocket successfully placed 15 satellites into orbit during its fifth mission, as announced by the nation's space agency. This launch includes five satellites that will contribute to South Korea's first domestically launched microsatellite constellation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 200-ton Nuri lifted off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, approximately 400 kilometers south of Seoul, at 12:25 p.m. The rocket completed its 20-minute flight, marking a significant achievement for the country's space program.
The payload included five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) microsatellites and 10 CubeSats. Nuri successfully executed the separation of its first and second stages before deploying the satellites at an altitude of roughly 575 kilometers.
The NEONSAT satellites, numbered 2 through 6 and each weighing under 100 kilograms, were released at intervals of 35 to 40 seconds. The upper stage of Nuri rotated about 45 degrees between each separation to prevent collisions. Following this, the 10 CubeSats were released in pairs every 10 seconds.
Oh Tae-seok, the administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), confirmed that the Nuri rocket reached its intended orbit as planned. The launch team is currently conducting a detailed analysis to verify the successful deployment of the satellites.
After deploying all 15 satellites, the Nuri rocket performed a collision-avoidance maneuver and vented its remaining fuel, concluding its mission. It will remain in orbit before eventually reentering Earth's atmosphere and burning up.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute will track the rocket's flight from facilities in South Korea and Palau, located in the western Pacific. This mission marks Nuri's first attempt at sequentially deploying multiple primary satellites for the same mission.
Each NEONSAT is equipped with 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 oversee the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas for purposes of national security and disaster response.
The NEONSAT constellation is planned to eventually include 10 satellites, with another five to be launched during Nuri’s sixth mission next year. Once fully operational, the constellation will be able to image the Korean Peninsula more than three times per day and revisit the same location within 24 hours.