South Korea launches Nuri rocket for the fifth time, deploying 15 satellites
On Oct. 7, 2026, South Korea successfully lifted off the Nuri launch vehicle from the Naro Space Center, placing 15 satellites into orbit, including five for its first domestic microsatellite constellation.
South Korea carried out the fifth launch of its domestically developed Nuri rocket on Oct. 7, 2026, from the Naro Space Center in the coastal village of Goheung. After being assembled and erected on Oct. 5-6, the three-stage launch vehicle lifted off and successfully inserted 15 satellites into a 550-kilometre orbit, five of which will constitute the country's inaugural home-grown microsatellite constellation. The mission follows a long development timeline that began with solid-fuel rockets in the early 1990s, progressed through the KSLV-I program with Russian assistance, and culminated in the liquid-fuel KSLV-II, renamed Nuri in 2018.
Earlier flights in 2022 and 2023 achieved partial and full successes, respectively, establishing South Korea as the seventh nation capable of launching payloads exceeding one ton. The newly deployed satellites began transmitting data to the King Sejong Station in Antarctica within 40 minutes of launch, confirming operational status.
Why it matters
The launch demonstrates South Korea's growing independent space capability and expands its satellite communications network.
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