Nuri to Launch into Space at 12:25 PM... Live from the Space Center (October 7, 2026)

[Anchor]

South Korea's homegrown space launch vehicle, Nuri, is set to embark on its fifth space flight today (October 7). We connect to our reporter live at the Naro Space Center in Goheung.

Reporter Han Sung-hee, has the launch time for Nuri's fifth flight been finalized?

[Reporter]

Today's fifth launch of Nuri has been confirmed for 12:25 PM.

This time was decided after taking into consideration technical conditions, weather, and the possibility of collisions with space debris.

The Korea AeroSpace Administration stated in an on-site briefing a moment ago that "all preparations are proceeding smoothly so far."

It added that all weather conditions, such as allowable wind speeds, are met, and there are no space environment factors that would affect the launch.

Fuel, or kerosene, began being injected into Nuri at 9:40 AM a short while ago as it undergoes final checks, and liquid oxygen—the oxidizer needed to burn the fuel—is scheduled to be injected starting at 10:15 AM.

Carrying 15 satellites, the highest number ever since its first launch in 2021, Nuri will head into space.

Once it separates the first and second stages and enters its target altitude of 575 km at 761 seconds after launch, it will begin separating the satellites.

First, it will deploy the main payload, five micro-cluster satellites, one by one at intervals of 35 to 40 seconds.

The micro-cluster satellites are a system where multiple satellites weighing less than 100 kg operate as a single unit.

The core of this launch is for Nuri to adjust its attitude sequentially to separate the five cluster satellites safely without them colliding with one another in space.

Once in their target orbit, the cluster satellites will frequently observe the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas in high resolution.

Following its first launch, which failed to insert into orbit, Nuri successfully completed its missions from the second through the fourth launches.

Nuri's fifth journey into space will begin in about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

(Video by Lee Chan-su | Video Editing by So Ji-hye)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.