South Korea advances Nuri rocket program with fourth orbital launch

by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Nov 28, 2025

South Korea has completed the fourth mission of its domestically built Nuri launch vehicle, placing a primary satellite and a group of smaller payloads into orbit from the coastal village of Goheung in the south of the country.

The 200-metric-ton rocket lifted off at 1:13 am local time after controllers resolved an abnormal signal from a pressure sensor that briefly delayed the planned launch time. Once in orbit, Nuri deployed a 516-kilogram main satellite together with 12 secondary satellites.

President Lee Jae-myung described the flight as "a moment that opens a new chapter" in South Korea's space development and said it demonstrates greater national self-reliance in science and technology. He added that the government will keep supporting scientists and engineers and continue investing in space-related research and development.

Lee highlighted that this mission was the first in which a private company took part in the full launch process. Hanwha Aerospace led the manufacturing and assembly of the rocket using technology transferred from the government, while the Korea Aerospace Research Institute supervised final launch operations. Officials view Hanwha's participation as part of a long-term plan to expand private-sector roles in the country's space industry.

At a news briefing, Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon called the launch an important turning point in the effort to move South Korea's space sector from a government-centered model toward a private-centered ecosystem. The primary satellite will support space science investigations, including observations of Earth's auroras.

The Nuri program began in 2021. The first launch did not fully succeed, but the second and third missions reached their objectives. Compared with the third flight, the latest launch carried more satellites and a higher total payload mass.

South Korea plans two more Nuri launches in 2026 and 2027, and Korea Aerospace Administration administrator Yoon Young-bin has indicated that a seventh launch in 2028 is possible if funding is secured. According to Shin Dong-hyuk, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the new satellite payload should improve GPS services in South Korea.

"The current GPS has an accuracy of around 10 meters, but in order to increase the accuracy, we need to know the space weather, and then this aurora observation can be a good indicator," Shin told government broadcaster Arirang News.