South Korea's homegrown Nuri space rocket was transported and positioned upright on the launchpad at the Naro Space Center on Tuesday, despite a weather delay. The procedure paves the way for its fourth launch scheduled for early Thursday. Space authorities are carrying out final preparations, including fuel injection.
On Tuesday, November 25, South Korea's Nuri (KSLV-II) rocket was moved from its assembly building to the launchpad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul. Originally set to begin at 7:20 a.m., the transport was delayed by 1.5 hours due to rainy weather and started at 9:00 a.m. The 200-ton rocket traveled 1.8 kilometers on a special vehicle at 1.5 kph and was positioned upright at 1:36 p.m.
The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) plans to complete remaining procedures, including fuel and oxidizer injection, by late afternoon. "If we are unable to complete all of the scheduled procedures today, we plan to carry out additional work early on the following day to proceed with the launch operation as planned," KASA said in a release.
This fourth launch, scheduled for early Thursday, marks the first time Hanwha Aerospace handled the entire assembly process, aligning with the government's long-term plan to transfer space technologies to the private sector. Previous attempts include a failure in October 2021 with a 1.5-ton dummy satellite, success in June 2022 placing a Performance Verification Satellite (PVSAT) and a 1.3-ton dummy into orbit, and success in May 2023 with a next-generation small satellite and seven cube satellites.
The event underscores South Korea's advancing independent space capabilities.
