South Korea had just made history on Tuesday, June 21, when it successfully launched its homegrown rocket to orbit. It was the second attempt of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) after it failed on its first attempt on Oct. 21, 2021.
According to Korean Post, the first attempt confirmed that the core technology of the rocket was secured in Korea. However, the combustion ended prematurely, holding back the satellite model from landing on the target orbit. But last month, the Korean space agency announced that it would launch the rocket in June and they successfully accomplished it.
In this handout image provided by Korea Aerospace Research Institute, a space rocket Nuri (KSLV-Ⅱ) taking off from its launch pad at the Naro Space Center on June 21, 2022 in UGoheung-gun, South Korea.
South Korea Making History in Aerospace Industry
South Korea has launched its Nuri rocket to orbit at 4 p.m. local time from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, The Verge reported. The launch was a historic event for the East Asian nation as it helped the country to gain footing in the growing global space industry and bolster its national defense with spy satellites in the future.
Nuri rocket has carried a set of satellites that have no military purposes. KARI officials said that one of the rocket's payloads was a 357-pound performance verification satellite sent to orbit the planet to help South Korea launch more satellites. It carried four mini-research satellites known as CubeSats weighing 22 pounds each and designed to eventually orbit on their own on June 29.
According to The New York Times, the satellite will test an antenna, generator, and other equipment as it stays 435 miles (700 km) above the planet. Korean scientists have confirmed that the satellite has already sent data about its status in orbit back to Earth.
The launch on Tuesday was indeed a historic moment for South Korea, especially after years of trial and error with its rocket that left it reliant on other nations' technology. The first attempt in October failed as the satellite fell to stay in orbit after reaching space, but the recent second attempt was a success.
Due to that, AP News reported that South Korea has just become the 10th nation to have sent a satellite to space using its own technology for launching spacecraft that follows the regulations implemented by the international aerospace community in sending missiles and spy satellites.
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Facts About Nuri Rocket
The Nuri rocket, also known as the Korean Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-II), is a 154-feet (47-meter) rocket that weighs 200 tons. It was launched from the Naro Space Center in the southern coastal region of South Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Nuri is a Korean word that means "world." It is also a three-stage rocket developed to put satellites into low Earth orbit. Following its failed first attempt, the Nuri rocket was subjected to the reinforcement of an anchoring device of the helium tank.
It was designed to fly southward from the launch site, where the first stage fell 413 kilometers away and the second stage 2,800 kilometers away. KARI also confirmed that the rocket's first stage separated 127 seconds after the launch at an altitude of 59 kilometers. Meanwhile, its second stage separated at 274 seconds at 259 kilometers high.
South Korea has invested $1.7 billion (1.96 trillion won) in the project since 2010. Since then, around local companies have participated in assembling the rocket. That means South Korea has successfully created a domestically developed rocket without relying on foreign resources for developing a space launch vehicle.
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