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Chocopie

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Last-minute preparations under way for Nuri's launch​


12:00 May 07, 2023
by Kim Boram

GOHEUNG, South Korea, May 7 (Yonhap) -- Officials and researchers from South Korea's state-run space institutions, universities and companies have begun last-minute preparations for a mission to put practical satellites into orbit for the first time.

South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri is ready to be loaded with eight payloads and its lower stages have been completed for its scheduled launch on May 24 at the Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung.

This undated photo provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) shows the lower stages of South Korea's first homegrown rocket Nuri at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

This undated photo provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) shows the lower stages of South Korea's first homegrown rocket Nuri at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)


Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, is the core part of South Korea's 1.9 trillion-won (US$1.44 billion) project to launch 1.5-ton satellites into a low Earth orbit by its own space rocket between 2010-2023.

In 2021, Nuri successfully flew to its target altitude of 700 kilometers but failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit, as its third-stage engine burned out earlier than expected.

On its second attempt in 2022, Nuri successfully completed its flight sequence and deployed dummy satellites at the target altitude of 700 kilometers as planned.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which has led South Korea's state-run space projects, including Nuri, said unlike the previous two test launches, the upcoming take-off is given a different mission to launch practical satellites into orbit.

"This time, Nuri will carry eight payloads. It will make its debut as a rocket to put those satellites into orbit," said Ko Jeong-hwan, who heads the Nuri project at KARI. "It is the first time that Nuri is tasked with handling separate multiple satellites in one flight."

This undated photo provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) shows officials inspecting a microsatellite developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, codenamed SNIPE, at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

This undated photo provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) shows officials inspecting a microsatellite developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, codenamed SNIPE, at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The country's second next-generation small satellite, the NEXTSAT-2, is the main payload on Nuri and will be loaded at the very top of the rocket's head.

Designed and developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the 180-kilogram NEXTSAT-2 will demonstrate X-band radar technology and measure space radiation on a dawn-dusk orbit for the next two years.

Four microsatellites developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, codenamed SNIPE, and located beneath the NEXTSAT-2, will identify temporal and spatial variations of small scale plasma structures in the ionosphere and magnetosphere. Data from SNIPE will be shared with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The four SNIPE units were originally scheduled to be launched on a Russian rocket last year, but the plan was scrapped due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The three others are the JAC by Korean engineering company Justek Inc., the LUMIR-T1 by local space firm Lumir Inc. and the KSAT3U by startup Kairospace Co.

The launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, is seen here on May 3, 2023. (Yonhap)

The launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, is seen here on May 3, 2023. (Yonhap)

As all eight payloads already arrived at the Naro Space Center last week and are being stored in a cleanroom, they have been rechecked to assure that they have not been damaged or affected in transit before mating with their rocket transport.

If the review is completed without problems, the craft will be attached to the final propulsive stage of the rocket within the payload fairing. The payload fairing is the cone-shaped piece of equipment used to protect spacecraft payloads against dynamic pressure and heating during launch through the atmosphere. When the rocket moves outside the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned to expose the payloads to outer space so they can be discharged.

The NEXTSAT-2, which will be released first from Nuri, will be located at the top position, and the seven microsatellites will be placed on either side of the main satellites underneath.

The upper stage then will be transported to a finally assembly building to be integrated with the lower stages that mainly house rocket engines and propellant.

"When Nuri takes off at 6:24 p.m., the lowest stage is separated after 125 seconds, and the fairing and the second stage are detached next one by one," said Ko from KARI. "The NEXTSAT-2 will be freed from the rocket 783 seconds after the launch, and the JAC comes next followed by the LUMIR-T1, the KSAT3U and the four SNIPE satellites at 20-second intervals."

Once in place, many of the tests and verifications are repeated to assure workers that the payloads and its rocket interfaces are working together until the third week of May.

On the eve of the launch, the rocket is transported and erected on the launchpad and will go through verifications for electricity, fuel supply connection and other mechanical functions.

When all of these steps have been completed, a complete dress rehearsal of the final days of the countdown will be held and the liftoff will take place at 6:24 p.m. on May 24, while checks of the weather along the vehicle's flight path are also conducted.

"As Nuri carries eight payload satellites, we are about to launch our rocket with our customers on board," said KARI President Lee Sang-ryool. "For the past decades, we've participated in space projects as a customer, but from now on, we will become a host of space launches."

South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri lifts off from Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, in this file photo taken June 21, 2022, as the country makes a second attempt to put satellites into orbit. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri lifts off from Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, in this file photo taken June 21, 2022, as the country makes a second attempt to put satellites into orbit. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

 

Chocopie

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D-1 Nuri (KSLV-II) set up for 3rd launch

Nuri will launch this time 8 satellites (240 kg payload) at 550 km LEO on May 24th at 6:24 pm local time (11:24 am CET) from Naro Space Center, a southern island in Goheung, South Jeolla Province.

KSLV-II can send up to 1.9 tons of payload to a 700-kilometer low Earth orbit.

total weight: 200.4 t
max. thrust: 2,942 kN
total launch time: 18 min. 58 sec.

KSLV_3rd.jpg


Nuri rocket already erected on
LC-2 launch pad at Naro Space Center:

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YT-Channel of KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute):




Hopefully a successful flight tomorrow, space launches are hard challenges!
 
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Chocopie

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Nuri rocket’s 3rd launch postponed​

Software problem with ground control found 3 hours before blastoff


GOHEUNG, South Jeolla Province -- South Korea postponed the third launch of the homegrown Nuri rocket due to a software error during the preparation process, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday.

“During the checkup on the low-temperature helium valve control, a problem occurred in the communication between computers that control the launch operation and the launch pad’s equipment. The valve itself did not have any issues as it could be operated manually. But once the valve control system goes into automatic operation, it could shut down the launch process altogether,” said Oh Tae-seog, first vice minister of science and ICT, in a press briefing.

The decision came after the launch control committee held an emergency meeting at 3:30 p.m. after the problem was found earlier. The Nuri rocket, also known as the Korea Satellite Launch Vehicle-II, was originally scheduled to blast off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, at 6:24 p.m.

The ministry and Korea Aerospace Research Institute said they will try to find the cause of the problem and come up with a solution through Wednesday morning, indicating that a second launch could take place on Thursday. However, officials did not provide a timeline for when the final call would be made.

“If the problem can be fixed by tomorrow morning, the launch time is likely to be set for 6:24 p.m. the same planned time as today. The most important thing is that we need to figure out the problem and resolve it first,” said Ko Jeong-hwan, the head of KARI’s KSLV-II project during the briefing.

Ko explained that the problem did not have anything to do with the Nuri rocket’s hardware, saying that the issue was related to the valve of the umbilical cables that were in charge of injecting pressure into the rocket and releasing it.

“We went through numerous rehearsals as we prepared for this launch, but this problem was never found. We always kept in mind that anything could go wrong with so many parts making up the rocket. We have researchers in charge of this area and company officials ready in case of such an incident,” he said.

The official added that the problem-searching and solution-finding process can take place with the Nuri rocket still in the erected position at the launch pad because the issue was found with the ground control’s software.

According to Ko, this was the first time such a problem occurred as the first and second launches of the Nuri rocket were delayed due to different reasons such as bad weather conditions and sensor malfunction in the oxidizer tank.

[...]


As I said: Space rocket science is hard!
 

Chocopie

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Officially confirmed now:

Korea successfully launched Nuri KSLV-II, all 8 satellites released into orbit as planned


What a great achievement for a small country like the Republic of Korea! 🇰🇷

Congratulations and thanks to all involved scientists, engineers, technicians and project managers who worked endless hours for this national milestone. 🚀🛰️📡


Click pic to enlarge:
Nuri_3rd_Launch.JPG


More detailed space launch and flight infos:
 
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Rodeo

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Officially confirmed now:

Korea successfully launched Nuri KSLV-II, all 8 satellites released into orbit as planned


What a great achievement for a small country like the Republic of Korea! 🇰🇷

Congratulations and thanks to all involved scientists, engineers, technicians and project managers who worked endless hours for this national milestone. 🚀🛰️📡


View attachment 57678

More detailed space launch and flight infos:
Congratulations. Very Impressive!

- How much does a single launch cost?
- Are there any production or launch number goals per year?
- Does Korea have any plans to develop a reusable first stage?
 

Chocopie

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According to Hanwha Aerospace (rocket engine maker and main system integrator of Nuri) one launch costs around $80 million, their goal is to halve the price by 2032.

3 more launches with further enhanced and improved KSLV-II versions (3 stages, 4 clustered 75 ton thrust engines in main stage) are planned from 2025-2027.

Development of new KSLV-III rocket by 2030-2032:
- 2 stages next generation space launch vehicle
- 5 clustered 100 ton thrust multi-stage combustion cycle engines in main stage
- 2 clustered 10 ton thrust multi-stage combustion cycle engines in upper stage
- Payload capacities: 10 ton to LEO, 7 ton to SSO, 3.7 ton to GEO

Reusability has become a topic (would complicate the development process):

Oversight of Korean space program plans:
 
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Nilgiri

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Officially confirmed now:

Korea successfully launched Nuri KSLV-II, all 8 satellites released into orbit as planned


What a great achievement for a small country like the Republic of Korea! 🇰🇷

Congratulations and thanks to all involved scientists, engineers, technicians and project managers who worked endless hours for this national milestone. 🚀🛰️📡


Click pic to enlarge:
View attachment 57678

More detailed space launch and flight infos:

Nice! Congrats to Korea! Ohh pilseung Korea :D
 

urban mine

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S. Korea successfully conducts third test flight of solid-fuel space rocket​


(ATTN: UPDATES with latest details in 3rd para; CHANGES photo)
By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea successfully conducted a third test flight of a solid-fuel space rocket Monday, the defense ministry said, as part of efforts to build its independent space-based surveillance system against North Korea.

The space launch vehicle was launched from a barge floating in waters about 4 kilometers south of Jeju Island at 2 p.m. and placed a small Earth observation satellite into orbit at an altitude of about 650 km, the ministry said.

The 100-kilogram synthetic aperture radar satellite, made by Hanwha Systems, succeeded in sending signals to a ground station at 3:45 p.m., which means it is operating normally, the company said.
AEN20231204002652315_02_i_P4.jpg

The state-run Agency for Defense Development conducts the third flight test of a solid-fuel rocket carrying Hanwha Systems' Earth observation satellite on a barge floating about 4 kilometers south of Jeju Island on Dec. 4, 2023, in this photo provided by Hanwha Systems. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The rocket is designed to put a small satellite into a low Earth orbit for surveillance operations. Compared with liquid-fuel space vehicles, solid-fuel ones are known to be usually simpler and more cost-effective to launch.

The space vehicle under development by the state-run Agency for Defense Development uses solid fuel for the first three rockets, while it employs liquid fuel for the fourth stage as it is considered easier to precisely adjust the separation of the payload.

The first two flights in March and December 2022, respectively, tested the performance of three engines except the first-stage booster.

The ministry said it plans to conduct a full-fledged launch when the development is complete to bolster the military's satellite-based surveillance system, without specifying the schedule.

"Once the development of the solid-fuel space launch vehicle is complete, the South Korean military will be capable of launching small satellites designed for surveillance and reconnaissance in accordance with its security demands and in contingencies," the ministry said in a release.

In the future, it vowed to develop a space delivery system capable of launching heavier satellites weighing 500-700 kg in low Earth orbit.

The space vehicle's test flight comes just days after South Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Friday.
PYH2023120200500001300_P4.jpg

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying South Korea's first homegrown spy satellite lifts off from the U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 1, 2023 (local time), in this photo provided by SpaceX. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The launch is part of Seoul's plan to send five reconnaissance satellites into space by 2025 to better monitor North Korea amid its rising nuclear and missile threats.

On Nov. 21, North Korea placed its first spy satellite into orbit following two failed attempts earlier this year and vowed to launch more in a short span of time.

It also test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile in April and another in July, which are hard to detect due to shorter preparation time compared with liquid-fuel missiles.

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urban mine

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1701684941.jpg

Hanwha's SAR satellite mounted on the launch is the product of the Small SAR Technology Experimental Project (S-STEP).
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The project was carried out by the state, and Hanwha's role was to develop only EQM for ground testing, but the launch was equipped with the same model with its own budget. The 100-kg satellite, measuring 2m x 1m, will carry out its mission in an orbit of 650km. The data from the SAR satellites will be received by Hanwha Systems ground stations, and the company plans to validate the performance with the military in the future.
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