South Korea successfully launched its fourth Nuri space rocket on Thursday, deploying more than a dozen artificial satellites, marking a major milestone for the country’s space program.
The production and rocket integration of the latest launch was mainly led by local company Hanwha Aerospace, using technology transferred from the government.
The country initially launched the Nuri missile program in 2021 and the latest developments helped them successfully complete the mission.
A Korea Aerospace Research Institute livestream on social media showed an intriguing glimpse of a rocket soaring into the night sky from its launch pad in Goheung.
In this regard, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said in a post shared on social media: “This is the first time that private companies have participated in the entire process.”
“As we have embarked on the journey of independence and technology, I believe this will be the cornerstone for generations to come,” he added.
A Nuri rocket was observed taking off from the Naro Space Center on the southern coast of South Korea at 1:13 am.
The main commercial satellite and 12 other cube satellites have been successfully launched into orbit, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT.
Shares in Hanwha Aerospace and HD Hyundai Heavy both rose as much as 1.6% in Thursday morning trading, outpacing the broader market’s gain of 1.1%.
South Korea plans to test a total of six missiles by 2027.
The recent launch concluded the validation phase of the Nuri program, officially beginning the era of private sector capacity building in the space sector and strengthening the company’s role in the aerospace industry.
