South Korea Plans First Military Satellite Launch

Military satellites to fly on 'Nuri.' (Yonhap) The government will launch a defense satellite for the first time using the Korea Space Launch Vehicle Nuri in 2031. In 2030, it will attempt to launch Nuri twice a year. Administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration Oh Tae-seok disclosed the Nuri launch plan containing these details at the State Council on Oct. 20. According to the plan, the Korea AeroSpace Administration will send four micro-satellite system electro-optical (EO) satellites into space during the 11th launch of Nuri in 2031. EO satellites are military surveillance and reconnaissance satellites that observe land and sea using electro-optical equipment. This is the first time a plan for Nuri to launch a defense satellite has been disclosed. Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-chul also stated, “We plan to launch four micro-satellite system satellites in 2031, and we are trying to cooperate additionally for about eight more.” The announcement of the defense satellite launch plan is interpreted to be due to the increased reliability of Nuri. Following the failure of its first launch in 2021, Nuri has succeeded four consecutive times from its second launch in 2022 to its fifth launch on Oct. 7. The cumulative launch success rate has increased to 80%. If all future launches up to the 10th launch are successful, the cumulative success rate will reach 90%. The concept is to increase the reliability of the launch vehicle through repeated launches and then have it handle the transport of defense satellites, which are directly linked to national security, starting from the 11th launch. In the 12th launch in 2032, three companion satellites of the multipurpose practical satellite Arirang 8 will be sent into space. Arirang 8 is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite that can observe the Earth’s surface regardless of weather and time using radio waves. The Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to introduce a ‘multistatic’ method for the first time, in which companion satellites flying in formation simultaneously receive reflected waves bouncing off at different angles to process observation data when the main satellite transmits radio waves to the ground. The number of launches will also gradually increase. In the 6th launch in the second half of next year, micro-constellation satellites No. 7 to 11 will be launched, while the 7th launch in 2028 will launch the next-generation medium satellite No. 5, and the 8th launch in 2029 will launch one lunar orbit communication satellite. In 2030, two launches per year will be pursued. The 9th launch will send two low Earth orbit communication satellites, and the 10th launch will send a small lunar lander. Administrator Oh explained that in addition to these, if demand for additional satellite launches arises, such as for low Earth orbit communication satellites and space data center demonstrations, the pursuit of additional launches will be reviewed. The development of a next-generation launch vehicle and a reusable launch vehicle with three times the performance of Nuri (altitude 500 km 2.2t to 7t) will also be pursued. First, a reusable launch vehicle will be developed through a small test vehicle flight in 2028 and a first-stage vertical takeoff and landing in 2032. The ultimate goal is to complete the reuse technology through a first-stage return flight after a mission in 2035. The site for the construction of the Second Space Center will also be finally determined in December. This is delayed by one month from the initially scheduled announcement time in November. Currently, Goheung in Jeonnam-Gwangju and Jeju are competing as candidate sites. The Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to develop next-generation launch vehicles and private small and medium-sized launch vehicles at the Second Space Center and build a multipurpose launch pad.