South Korea successfully launched its Indigenous Nuri rocket to space
South Korea's first indigenous rocket triumphs in its second mission to space, launched from Naro Space Center.
South Korea's homegrown rocket "Nuri" successfully launched from Naro Space Center in Goheung. Lift-off took place at 4 p.m KST (07:00 UTC) on June 21, 2022, as the country makes a second attempt to put satellites into orbit, carrying a 1.3-ton test model satellite and Performance Verification Satellite (PVSAT) from Asia Pacific Satellite Inc.,
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI); at T+ 42 minutes and 23 seconds, the PVSAT communicates with South Korea's Antarctic Research station, and confirmed the payload separation went nominally, at the target altitude of 700 kilometers as planned
We have arrived at a monumental moment not just in South Korea's science technology history but for South Korea's history as well," Science Minister Lee Jong-ho said in a briefing at Naro Space Center
South Korea has now secured the key independent technology for developing and launching space rockets carrying homegrown satellites, opening up a new era in the country's space program and become the seventh country in the world to develop a space launch vehicle that can carry a more than 1-ton satellite, after Russia, the United States, France, China, Japan and India.
Today's launch was Nuri's second liftoff after its first attempt ended in failure.