Space agency chief says preparations for 5th Nuri launch on track

Seoul, September 30 (Yonhap) - The head of South Korea's space agency assured reporters on Wednesday that preparations for the upcoming fifth launch of the domestically built Nuri rocket are progressing as expected, with a launch slated for October 7 from the Naro Space Center, located approximately 473 kilometers south of the capital.

During a press conference, Oh Tae-seok, the administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), stated that no issues have arisen thus far during the launch preparations. The Nuri rocket is designed to carry a total of 15 satellites, comprising five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellations for National Safety (NEONSAT) satellites as the primary payload and 10 CubeSats as secondary payloads.

Oh emphasized that one of the primary challenges lies in the precise deployment and orbital placement of all 15 satellites, given the rocket's capability to launch different satellites into distinct orbits. This advanced functionality is crucial for commercial launch services, and KASA aims to bolster its expertise in this domain.

Earlier in the day, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute released a video showcasing the assembly of the Nuri rocket's three stages at the Naro Space Center on Tuesday.