South Korea’s Nuri deploys five satellites as Hanwha takes on launch operations
South Korea’s Nuri rocket placed five NEONSAT satellites and nine CubeSats in orbit on its fifth flight, the first time a domestically developed launcher deployed five primary satellites together, according to Yonhap. One CubeSat failed to eject, but KASA judged the main mission successful. The flight also advances Hanwha Aerospace’s role ahead of a planned shift to private-led launches in 2029.
Bottom line — A sixth Nuri launch is planned for the second half of 2027, as South Korea targets at least one flight a year through 2032.
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KASA said Nuri has succeeded on four of five flights, an 80% record; it expects the rate to exceed the 90% global-market benchmark only around the 11th flight, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
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Hanwha Aerospace staff operated 20 of the launch centre’s 22 control consoles, under Korea Aerospace Research Institute supervision, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
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KASA plans government oversight through 2028, with launch operations becoming fully private-led from 2029, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
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The five NEONSAT satellites are designed to monitor the Korean Peninsula and nearby areas for security and disaster response, Yonhap reported.
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Five more NEONSAT satellites are scheduled for the sixth flight; once all 10 are operational, Yonhap says the constellation should image the peninsula more than three times a day and revisit locations within 24 hours.
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The failed CubeSat, PERSAT02, was developed by Quaternion. KARI said the rocket sent the deployment signal, but the dispenser cover apparently did not open, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.