The Korea AeroSpace Administration set the scheduled date for the fifth launch of Nuri to Oct. 7. A total of 15 satellites, including five ultra-small cluster satellites, are to be onboard for this launch.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration said it held the first launch management committee meeting on the 27th in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang, reviewed the readiness of Nuri vehicle No. 5, the payload satellites, and the Naro Space Center launch facilities, and then made the decision.
The committee conducted a comprehensive review not only of the readiness of the launch vehicle and satellites, but also of weather, space environment, and the possibility of collisions with space objects. To prepare for the possibility that the launch schedule could change due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather, Oct. 8 to 14 was set as the launch backup period.
The launch window was set between 12:23 p.m. and 1:23 p.m. This reflects the mission of the ultra-small cluster satellites and the target orbit, and the specific launch time will be finalized on the day after checking the weather and launch readiness.
At the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla, total assembly work on the launch vehicle is underway, including mating the Nuri stages and installing pyrotechnics. The five ultra-small cluster satellites to be loaded onto Nuri were brought into the Naro Space Center on the 24th and are currently undergoing functional checks before integration with the launch vehicle. Ten CubeSats developed by industry, academia and research institutes are also scheduled to arrive at the space center by the 31st of this month. A total of 15 satellites will ride on the fifth Nuri launch.
The launch pad and tracking system at the Naro Space Center have completed performance verification tests. The Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to continue inspections of related facilities until the launch. Current analysis shows no major issues with the weather and space environment on the scheduled launch date, and the likelihood of collisions with space objects is also expected to be low.
Oh Tae-seok, head of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, said, "This launch will carry 15 satellites and is the first mission in Korea to deploy cluster satellites into orbit," adding, "In the remaining period, we will continue preparations and checks on the launch vehicle, satellites, and ground systems."