South Korea readies fifth Nuri rocket launch, aims to deploy 15 satellites

Ahead of the scheduled Oct. 7 launch, the Korea AeroSpace Administration reported that preparations for the fifth flight of the indigenous Nuri rocket are progressing without issues. The launch from the Naro Space Center will carry a total of 15 satellites: five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellations for National Safety as the primary payload and ten CubeSats as secondary payloads. Administrators emphasized the difficulty of deploying multiple satellites into different orbits, a skill needed to compete in the commercial launch market.

The mission also marks the first fully domestic microsatellite constellation for South Korea. Earlier this week, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute posted a video showing the assembly of the rocket's three stages at the Naro facility. Success of the launch would demonstrate South Korea's growing expertise in multi-payload space operations.