Goheung: South Korea's space agency said Tuesday it has successfully established communication with nine of the 12 cube satellites deployed by the country's homegrown rocket Nuri last week. The 200-ton Nuri blasted off from Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on Thursday last week, placing 13 satellites, including the main CAS500-3, into orbit at an altitude of 600 kilometers. The main satellite established communication with South Korea's King Sejong Station in Antarctica shortly after deployment.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) successfully communicated with five cube satellites on the day of the launch. On Friday, they made contact with three additional cube satellites, followed by another on Saturday. KARI plans to continue efforts to reach the remaining three cube satellites.

"Cube satellites, which experience repeated failures and successes, stand at the frontline of rapidly advancing space technology," a KASA official said, noting the government will continue efforts to ensure the stable transportation of such satellites. The cube satellites were developed by South Korean universities, research institutions, and companies. Compared with large-scale satellites, cube models often face failures due to their limited capacity, and communication can take around a week.