South Korean rocket ”Nuri” successfully wraps up for fourth time - first private company-led launch, a turning point for space development

The fourth wrap-up party for the South Korean-made rocket "Nuri" was held at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, in the early hours of the 27th, with all 13 rockets on board.
The satellite was successfully placed into the target orbit. This time, the private company Hanwha Aerospace received technology transfer from the government and was responsible for manufacturing the Nuri for the first time. South Korea's public broadcaster KBS said,
"With the successful fourth wrap-up party of the Nuri, South Korea has further enhanced its rocket wrap-up party capabilities through private-government cooperation," the statement said.
Regarding South Korea's space development, the two-stage rocket "Naro" jointly developed with Russia
The "N-1" was attempted three times in 2009, 2010, and 2013. The 2009 and 2010 wrap-up parties failed. In 2010, the wrap-up party exploded in mid-air two minutes later, and South Korea and Russia are currently in dispute over the cause of the failure.
The attempt finally succeeded in 2013, and at the time the South Korean government exaggerated, saying that it had "launched a domestic satellite into orbit using a domestic rocket at a wrap-up party in its own country." However, in reality, it was only a one-stage
The first engine was made in Russia. For this reason, the wrap-up party of a domestically produced rocket was a long-cherished wish for South Korea, and in October 2021, the Nuri, a fly vehicle developed in South Korea, was the first to have its wrap-up party.
Although the satellite was successfully separated, it was unable to be placed into the planned orbit. After that, in June 2022, Nuri successfully completed its first wrap-up party. At the time, South Korea was considered a "space powerhouse."
The people were overjoyed, saying, "We've joined the team." At that time, the satellite that was put into orbit was a dummy satellite with a similar shape and weight, but in May 2023, next-generation small satellites and ultra-small satellites developed by private companies were planned to be put into orbit.
This was the first successful wrap-up party to carry eight operational satellites. This was the fourth wrap-up party, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace oversaw the manufacturing and assembly of the Nuri.
This was the first case of a spacecraft led by a Japanese company. The Nuri was carrying a total of 13 satellites, including a satellite for observing the aurora. It was launched from the Naro Space Center at 1:13 a.m. on the 27th.
After the first and second stages were successfully separated, the satellite entered a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 600 km at 1:25 a.m. and separated from the sun.
The end of the flight was announced at one minute. At around 1:55 a.m., the main satellite, Next Generation Medium-sized Satellite 3, made its first contact with the ground station at the Antarctic base.
Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon held a press conference.
announced that it had successfully placed the satellite it was carrying into the planned orbit. "The success of the wrap-up party of Nuri's fourth unit not only proves once again that Korea has its own space transportation capabilities, but also
"This is the first wrap-up party in which the government and private sector have worked together as one team, and it will be a turning point in the transition of the Korean space industry from government-centered to private-sector-centered," he said.
"New challenges in the field of space development will continue," he said. "With the development of next-generation launch vehicles, lunar exploration, and deep space exploration, Korea will continue on its path to becoming one of the world's top five space powers."
President Lee Jae-myung also congratulated the success of the wrap-up party, posting on his social media account, "We have opened a new chapter in the history of Korea's space development."
He also said, "This wrap-up party is an example of a private company participating in the entire process from launch vehicle manufacturing to operation, leading to success," and "It is a testament to our country's independence in science and technology, and I hope that future generations will have a greater impact."
"This will be the foundation for boldly taking on the challenge of greater possibilities," he said, adding, "This is just the beginning. We will enrich the lives of our people with science and technology and make Korea one of the world's top five space powers."
"The government will continue to support scientists and engineers so that they can pioneer the path to innovation freely and with integrity," he said.
This was a symbolic move that marked the shift of South Korea's space development from government-led to private-led.
According to Korean media Chosun Biz, Park Jeong-chan, head of the Korea Launch Vehicle Advancement Project at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, said, "From the fifth or sixth wrap-up party, Hanwha Aerospace
"We expect that Hanwha employees will be able to take the lead in operating the wrap-up party operation console as the actual number of participants increases."