The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II), Nuri, succeeded in its fourth launch early on the 27th. Coming at a moment when leadership in Korea's space development is being fully transferred from the government to the private sector, the achievement is seen as a major turning point for industry and technology.
At 1:13 a.m. on the 27th, Nuri lifted off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, and successfully carried out about 18 minutes of flight. After precisely placing the main payload, the next-generation medium-class satellite No. 3, into its target orbit, it went on to successfully separate a total of 12 CubeSats in sequence.
This launch is the first case in which Hanwha Aerospace, the system integrator, was responsible for the entire launch vehicle preparation process. Experts interpret this success as a sign that Korea has fully entered the "new space" era. New space refers to an era in which private corporations lead space development. It means that, as in the United States with SpaceX and Blue Origin, a foundation has been laid in Korea for private corporations to emerge as the central axis of the space launch industry.
The shift toward private-sector leadership has been pushed forward step by step in recent years. Until now, domestic launch vehicle development has been centered on the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), but since the third Nuri launch, the government has been implementing a "technology transfer roadmap" to hand over overall launch vehicle design, manufacturing, assembly, and operations to the private sector. In this process, Hanwha Aerospace was selected as the system integrator, effectively taking on the role of a Korean "SpaceX."
Overseas, the private sector has long been at the center of the launch industry. In the early 2010s, the United States moved away from a model in which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) directly developed launch vehicles and shifted to a structure that entrusts launch services to private corporations. As a result, launch expenses fell and launch frequency increased significantly, laying the groundwork for an explosive expansion of a private-led "new space ecosystem."
Go Jeong-hwan, a principal researcher at KARI and former head of the Korea Launch Vehicle Advancement Program, said in a phone call with ChosunBiz, "Hanwha Aerospace also took part in the third Nuri launch, but most of the launch vehicle assembly had already been completed," adding, "For this fourth launch, Hanwha Aerospace prepared the entire launch vehicle. That shows we have in earnest entered a 'new space' era in which private corporations lead space development."
◇ Securing technical reliability and expanding the research platform
This launch is also assessed as an important milestone showing that Nuri has entered the stage of a "reliable launch vehicle," not only in terms of changes to the industrial structure but also on the technical side.
Earlier, in its second launch in June 2022, Nuri first placed a performance verification satellite and CubeSats into orbit, marking it down as "a launch of actual satellites with a launch vehicle designed and built with domestic technology." In the third launch in May 2023, it successfully entered orbit carrying a practical satellite and CubeSats, proving that Nuri's space transportation capability is a repeatable system.
Jin Jeong-geun, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST, said, "This launch carries important meaning in two respects beyond a simple test: the transfer of private-sector technology and securing launch vehicle reliability," adding, "Nuri is in a process of verifying reliability through repeated tests, and in connection with the successful second and third launches, this launch is a key step in securing launch vehicle stability."
In particular, this launch saw the full operation of a "Korean-style space laboratory" leveraging Nuri's payload capacity. The total satellite mass is about 960 kilograms, nearly double that of the third launch (about 500 kilograms).
In addition, the newly introduced multi-payload adapter (MPA) efficiently utilized the limited internal fairing space to allow multiple small satellites to be carried simultaneously, and it reduced separation shock to separate each satellite stably. In effect, it laid the groundwork for various satellites to be demonstrated at once.
Alongside the next-generation medium-class satellite No. 3 developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), this launch carried 12 CubeSats developed by domestic corporations, research institutions, and universities. It was a scene that put domestic space technologies—spanning space science research, space medicine, communications, space traffic management, and environmental monitoring—on the test bench all at once.
Just as SpaceX has explosively expanded the U.S. space technology demonstration ecosystem through regular launches, the expansion of Nuri's payload capacity is expected to lead to a structural change that dramatically increases space experiment opportunities for domestic private corporations and research institutions.
Professor Jin added, "By securing a small-satellite transportation platform for verifying space technologies developed domestically, it is expected to become a catalyst for the advancement of various domestic space technologies."
◇ The sustainability of the private ecosystem remains a task… "Accumulated repeat launch experience is the lifeline"
Some raise considerable concerns over whether the private space ecosystem can be sustained independently. Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, said at a briefing, "During the two years and six months of downtime between the third and fourth launches, technical personnel left, among other difficulties in maintaining the ecosystem." Experts warn that if such gaps are repeated, private launch capabilities could weaken, and they note that the steady accumulation of repeat launch experience is essential to sustaining the ecosystem.
Go said, "The new space era in the United States did not open overnight; there was more than 60 years of national investment and technological accumulation," adding, "In Korea as well, innovation is possible only if technology is stably transferred to the private sector under steady government support."
The government recognizes this and plans to improve systems to reduce gaps in the launch cycle. Yoon Yeong-bin, head of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, said, "We are preparing next year's budget with the goal of the seventh Nuri launch from 2028," adding, "From the eighth launch onward, we will push to conduct at least one regular launch each year."
An Hyeong-jun, Head of Team of the Space Public Team (SPREC) in the System Innovation Office at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), said, "The success of Nuri's fourth launch is the peak of a transition period in which Korea is moving from government-led space development to a private-centered new space system," adding, "To sustain this trend, we need to maintain a repeat launch foundation through the 'Nuri heritage project' and design a bridge program in which the public sector supports a minimum level of commercial demand."
An, the Head of Team, went on to say, "We should not judge Nuri solely by the commercial price competitiveness of launch vehicles," adding, "Because self-reliance in space access is an essential asset in terms of national security and strategic technology, we need to clearly define the policy status of launch vehicles and stably secure budgets to reflect in the medium-term expenditure framework."