Hanwha Aerospace received a transfer of the technology for the Korean launch vehicle 'Nuri' from the government on the 25th, leading to expectations that private-led space development, known as New Space, is gaining momentum. Industry officials and the Korea AeroSpace Administration diagnosed that for Nuri to become a sustainable launch vehicle in the New Space era, the government must quickly schedule additional launches to maintain the industrial ecosystem.
Director Jeong Hye-kyung of the Korea AeroSpace Administration's Space Industry Policy Division noted, "After the sixth launch, there needs to be additional launches of Nuri, and to achieve this, we must improve performance and secure a variety of orbital launch records to enhance commercialization."
Hanwha Aerospace will handle the 4th to 6th launches of Nuri, which it has been overseeing since this year until 2027, but the prospects beyond that are uncertain. Currently, the government has not scheduled further launches of Nuri after the sixth launch.
At a meeting of experts held by the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning the day before, domestic experts emphasized the need for additional launches after the sixth launch of Nuri. The reason experts are stressing additional launches after the sixth is because there will be a gap until the next-generation launch vehicle is launched in 2031.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration is working on a project to develop a next-generation launch vehicle to replace the Korean launch vehicle Nuri, investing 2.132 trillion won of national funds over ten years from 2023 to 2032. Initially, the government aimed to develop the next-generation launch vehicle as a single-use two-stage rocket fueled by kerosene and oxidized with liquid oxygen, but it shifted to developing a reusable launch vehicle with the establishment of the Korea AeroSpace Administration. Meanwhile, the first test launch schedule has also been pushed back from 2030 to 2031.
Director Jeong stated, "If we carry out additional launches of Nuri during this gap period, it means that the satellites planned to be launched at that time will utilize our launch vehicle," and added, "Moreover, this can help maintain the launch vehicle industry's ecosystem during that period."
In the meantime, we could improve Nuri's performance to enhance its commercialization. Director Jeong stated, "There are two ways to enhance the commercialization of Nuri. One is to expand the fairing since the current payload capacity is small, and the other is to go beyond just launching payloads into previous sun-synchronous orbits and also launch into increasingly useful inclined orbits."
The project planned by the Korea AeroSpace Administration for this purpose is the 'Nuri Heritage' project. The Korea AeroSpace Administration has laid out plans to launch two defense satellites through additional production of Nuri and the seventh launch. The project timeline is set for 2026 to 2028, with a budget of 157.8 billion won.
However, to commence this project, the Ministry of Science and ICT must pass a feasibility study that involves a large-scale budget. The feasibility study establishes whether to proceed with a large public investment project by evaluating its technical feasibility and economic and financial aspects.
Director Jeong stated, "The current proposal for the Nuri Heritage project includes not only fairing expansion and verification of inclined orbits but also research and development for cost optimization," adding, "If there is sufficient demand for launches in the future, we can lower costs through multiple productions."
He stated, "Since our country's launch vehicle currently lacks market competitiveness, it is crucial to create a consensus around 'our satellites, our launch vehicles,'" and noted, "As the number of departments utilizing satellites continues to grow, if we utilize our launch vehicles, it could be a catalyst for forming the launch service market."