The Korea AeroSpace Administration said on the 19th that, together with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), it has completed production of the "space verification satellite (E3T) No. 1," which can validate domestically made electronic and electrical devices and semiconductors in the space environment.
E3T (Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical Tester) is a test satellite to secure a track record for the space use of domestically made devices and components. The newly developed No. 1 is a 12U-class CubeSat platform made by joining 12 modules (U), each a 10-centimeter cube, allowing a variety of domestic components to be tested in space at once. The No. 1 payload includes Samsung Electronics' DRAM and NAND; the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) mixed-signal integrated circuit laboratory's analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to-analog converter (DAC) application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); MID's SRAM; and eight types of space-grade components localized last year.
E3T No. 1 will ride on the fourth launch of Nuri in Nov. and carry out space verification missions at an altitude of about 600 kilometers for about 6 to 12 months. Through this, the performance and reliability of domestically made components essential for advanced satellites developed with domestic technology are expected to be secured.
Han Chang-heon, director general of the aerospace industry bureau at the Korea AeroSpace Administration, said at a pre-shipment review meeting that "the localization of devices and components and securing a track record of their space use are core capabilities for advanced satellite development," adding, "it is important to provide continuous opportunities for space verification of domestic components."
E3T No. 2, to be mounted on the fifth Nuri launch scheduled for 2026, will verify in space a range of domestic components and equipment, including SK hynix DRAM, universal flash storage (UFS), a high-speed, high-precision steering mirror, a reaction wheel, an avionics test bed for an orbital transport vehicle, and a 1-ampere-class hollow cathode for electric thrusters. E3T No. 3 is slated to be mounted on the sixth Nuri launch in 2027 and will be selected through an open call in early 2026.