▲ Oh Tae-seok, Administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, announces the results of the Nuri launch management committee meeting
The South Korean space launch vehicle Nuri, launched from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, successfully separated all 15 payloads on October 7.
Nuri lifted off at 12:25 PM today, and its first stage, fairing, and second stage separated sequentially as planned.
Following this, about 12 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff, the third-stage engine shut down, and the satellites were deployed sequentially at the target altitude of approximately 575 km.
First, small satellite cluster units 2 through 6 were ejected one by one at intervals of 35 to 40 seconds.
During the deployment of the small satellite cluster, a separation sequence was applied that rotated the upper stage of the launch vehicle by 30 and 60 degrees to prevent collisions between the satellites.
Putting all five small satellite cluster units into a 570 km orbit is the core mission of Nuri's 5th launch.
While the 4th launch of Nuri carried one primary payload, the number increased to five for this mission.
Applause broke out at the launch site after the 6th small satellite cluster unit was separated.
Following the small satellite cluster, Nuri then deployed 10 cube satellites in pairs at 10-second intervals.
During a briefing at 1:00 PM today, Korea AeroSpace Administration Administrator Oh Tae-seok stated that this marks the first time in launch history that a liftoff occurred precisely at the scheduled time, and based on comprehensive flight data and video, it has been confirmed that Nuri reached its target orbit according to scheduled flight procedures.
He added that satellite deployment is presumed to have been carried out normally according to the initial plan, and noted that the Korea Aerospace Research Institute is conducting a detailed analysis of telemetry data to make a final judgment on Nuri's mission performance.
After separating all satellites, Nuri will perform evasion maneuvers to prevent collisions with the satellites and exhaust remaining fuel, orbiting before eventually re-entering the atmosphere and burning up.
Administrator Oh explained that follow-up measures have been completed to vent remaining gases such as residual oxidizer and helium from the third stage of the completed mission to prevent collisions with separated satellites and spontaneous explosions in orbit.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to announce the success or failure of Nuri's 5th launch through a detailed briefing at 2:00 PM.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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