INTUSK MAGAZINE

South Korea conducted a second test launch of its domestically produced Nuri rocket on Tuesday, successfully placing several satellites in orbit, officials said, marking a significant step forward in efforts to restart its space programme after a first test failed last year.

At 4 p.m., the rocket took off from the Naro Space Center on South Korea's southern coast. Officials said a 162.5-kg satellite designed to test the rocket's performance successfully made contact with an Antarctica base station after entering orbit.

The rocket also successfully placed a 1.3-ton dummy satellite and four small cube satellites developed by universities for research, into orbit.

The three-stage KSLV-II Nuri rocket, designed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to eventually put 1.5-ton payloads into orbit 600 to 800 km above the Earth, is a cornerstone of the country’s ambitious goals for 6G networks, spy satellites, and even lunar probes.

It uses only Korean rocket technologies and is the country's first domestically built space launch vehicle. South Korea’s last booster, launched in 2013 after multiple delays and several failed tests, was jointly developed with Russia.

Nuri's first test, in October, saw the rocket complete its flight sequences but fail to place the test payload into orbit because its third-stage engine burned out sooner than expected.

Engineers adjusted the helium tank inside Nuri's third-stage oxidizer tank to address that problem, Yonhap news agency reported.

KARI has said it plans at least four more test launches by 2027.

Nuri is key to South Korean plans to eventually build a Korean satellite-based navigation system and a 6G communications network. The country also plans to launch a range of military satellites, but officials deny the Nuri has any use as a weapon.

South Korea is also working with the United States on a lunar orbiter and hopes to land a probe on the moon by 2030.