[Nuriho 3rd Launch] "Weather and Preparation Perfect"... The Fateful 19-Minute Flight Imminent

Ministry of Science and ICT Confirms Launch Time at 6:24 PM on the 24th

Korea's first independently developed space launch vehicle, Nuriho, is scheduled for its third launch as planned at 6:24 PM on the 24th. Through approximately 19 minutes of flight, attention is focused on whether Korea's space launch vehicle will achieve the tasks of performance verification and reliability assurance through actual mission deployment, as well as the opening of the era of private space industry.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced that they confirmed this after holding a launch management committee meeting that afternoon. Oh Tae-seok, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "The weather conditions at Naro Space Center confirmed so far today have been analyzed to be suitable for the Nuriho launch criteria," adding, "We have decided to proceed with the main procedure of propellant (fuel and oxidizer) loading as scheduled." Accordingly, fuel loading for Nuriho is expected to be completed around 5:10 PM, and oxidizer loading around 5:40 PM.

Preparation Status 'Perfect'

According to Vice Minister Oh, the technical preparations for the third Nuriho launch vehicle were completed as of 2 PM that day. The vehicle was transferred to the second launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, the previous morning, erected and fixed, and the umbilical for fuel and oxidizer loading and electrical supply was connected. From the afternoon, checks on airtightness and propulsion supply systems were completed, and preparations such as helium charging for the upper stage were progressing smoothly. The second launch in June last year experienced setbacks including strong winds and component failures, causing two postponements.

The weather conditions are also perfect. The decision to launch Nuriho is made by comprehensively reviewing various weather factors such as temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, ground wind speed, and lightning. For this purpose, weather forecasters from the Korea Meteorological Administration have been conducting on-site weather observations for a week, and on the day, Air Force aircraft took off twice to observe clouds over Naro Island. As a result, the probability of precipitation around the launch time was confirmed to be below 30%. Although thick clouds moved in at high altitude, overall weather conditions are favorable. Ground winds are at an average speed of 2 to 4 meters per second, which is normal, and high-altitude winds are weaker than during the first and second Nuriho launches. To prevent damage to the payload, the possibility of lightning along the flight path is also important, and currently, the probability is assessed to be low. The risk of collision with space objects such as space stations, satellites, and space debris was also found to be negligible.

KARI plans to start fuel and oxidizer loading from 3:40 PM, completing fuel loading around 5:10 PM and oxidizer loading around 5:40 PM. From 6:14 PM, the countdown will begin along with the automatic operation procedures of the launch vehicle. Engine ignition and launch will occur around 6:24 PM.

What are the criteria for launch success?

Afterward, Nuriho will fly for about 1,138 seconds (18 minutes and 58 seconds), ascending to an altitude of 550 km, and deploy a total of eight satellites into orbit, including the next-generation small satellite 2, four ToyoSat satellites, and three CubeSats from private companies. The success of satellite orbit insertion is expected to be announced after data analysis is completed around 7:40 PM. Vice Minister Oh explained, "The success criterion is to insert the eight payloads into the target orbit of 550 km at a speed of 7.5 km/s," adding, "The status of the next-generation small satellite 2 can be checked immediately after ejection, and the success of the other small satellites can be determined by confirming whether their ejection tubes opened properly." The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to assess signal communication with the payload satellites by 9 AM the next day and provide a final briefing on their status around 11 AM. Vice Minister Oh stated, "Through the third Nuriho launch, we will once again successfully verify Nuriho's flight performance and reliability, and do our best to prepare for the launch to ensure the payload satellites are placed into the target orbit."