South Korea has presented its launch schedule for the Nuri rocket over the next six years. The government aims to fly the rocket at least once a year from 2027 to 2032, with two launches planned for 2030, for a total of twelve missions. The plan was outlined on October 20 by Korea AeroSpace Administration head O Tae-seok at a Cabinet meeting.
The mission drawing the most attention is the one in 2031. The eleventh launch will put four military electro-optical (EO) satellites from the small satellite system into orbit, a dual-use civil-military program run jointly by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Korea AeroSpace Administration and the Korea Coast Guard. These satellites observe the ground with optical instruments and will serve not only military surveillance but also disaster response and maritime monitoring. It will be the first defense payload on the Nuri.
Korean Nuri Rocket, powered by Hy-Lok - Hy-Lok Europe
The other flights have a more civilian profile. In 2027, the sixth flight will carry small constellation satellites Nos. 7-11; in 2028, the seventh will carry medium satellite No. 5. 2029 is assigned a lunar orbit communications satellite, 2030 two low Earth orbit communications satellites and a small lunar lander. In 2032, the twelfth launch will carry three companion satellites for Arirang-8, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system in which one primary satellite and three small companions fly in formation to image the ground at high resolution.
The government aims to push the launch success rate above 90%. If additional demand arises, for example to verify low Earth orbit communications satellites or a space data center, it will consider increasing the number of launches.
A step-by-step roadmap for a reusable rocket was also presented. By 2028, low-altitude vertical takeoff and landing flights to around 500 meters are planned with a 12-meter test article. In 2032, the first stage of a next-generation vehicle about 50 meters long is due to attempt a vertical takeoff and landing test to around 1,000 meters. The final goal, by 2035, is to complete the technology to recover and reuse a first stage that has already flown real missions.
In this photo released by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, the...
The next-generation vehicle, to be developed by 2032, is meant to raise payload to 500 kilometers from the current 2.2 tons to about 7 tons, roughly triple the transport capacity. The government also plans a second spaceport, with the site to be chosen by December after review by the National Space Committee. It is intended to host more than ten launches a year, both of reusable vehicles and of private small and medium commercial rockets.
"Space launch vehicles are a core infrastructure of space sovereignty," O Tae-seok said, adding that the plan will move forward "without a hitch" to make Korea one of the world's five major space powers.
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