Space launch startup Perigee Aerospace announced on the 18th that it will postpone the suborbital test launch scheduled for this year to the first quarter of next year. It is a difficult decision, but a step back for progress.
Perigee had planned to launch its self-developed suborbital test launch vehicle ‘BW0.4 (Blue Whale 0.4)’ from its own Marine Launch Platform (MLP) located offshore Jeju Island in the first half of this year, but the launch date was delayed until October.
The company explained that during the final rehearsal stage, issues requiring correction were discovered, making the schedule delay inevitable. They pointed to the cause being the exposure of the launch vehicle to the sea for more than five months while preparing for the marine launch. Due to consecutive typhoons, the RBF (Remove Before Flight) pin fastening parts were repeatedly connected and disconnected multiple times, which is presumed to have caused contact failures in ignition-related components.
Director Shim Su-yeon expressed the difficulty, saying, "I did not realize how challenging it would be to launch from the sea." There is still no ground launch site in South Korea where private companies can launch rockets. The Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, is exclusively used by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, a government-funded research institute. This issue was also pointed out during the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee’s audit held on the 17th. Due to this problem, another domestic launch vehicle company, Innospace, is attempting launches overseas.
Ultimately, the company’s position is that it is necessary to comprehensively re-examine and supplement the risks that may occur in the launch hardware and the actual launch, and thus they have decided to postpone the final launch plan. It is also known that the accumulated fatigue of employees due to the launch delay was taken into consideration. The expected initial public offering (IPO) after the test launch is also reported to be postponed.
Shin Dong-yoon, CEO of Perigee, said, “It is very regrettable that we could not proceed within the planned launch schedule, but it is meaningful that we secured operational capabilities for marine launches and technical assets to cope with various variables at sea,” adding, “Based on the experience and assets gained during this preparation process, we will re-pursue a more reliable and safer test launch.”
Although Perigee’s challenge has been delayed, there were also achievements. In September, the Ministry of Science and ICT recognized Perigee’s cryogenic propellant engine technology for space launch vehicles as a national strategic technology, the first for a domestic space company. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also confirmed it as a core strategic technology.
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