Nuri's 5th Launch to Mark Turning Point for 'New Space' Transition with 15 Satellites

With the 5th launch of South Korea's space launch vehicle Nuri scheduled for this coming October, the technical objectives of this launch and the process of transitioning to a private-sector-led space industry (New Space) have been specifically presented. Jeong Gyu-jin, a team leader at Hanwha Aerospace, appeared on the YouTube channel 'Dr. Choi Jun-young's Globe Institute' hosted by Dr. Choi Jun-young to explain the reality of the Nuri advancement project and system integration tasks.

Deploying 15 Satellites to Perform Various Missions and Verify Reliability

The core of this 5th launch lies in verifying the ability to deploy various satellites into accurate orbits. According to team leader Jeong Gyu-jin, approximately 15 satellites, including micro-constellation satellites, are scheduled to be deployed into orbit during this launch. This differs in mission nature from previous launches, as it is a process to confirm whether various types of payloads can be operated according to their purposes.

It was also mentioned that the reliability of a launch vehicle is not completed with just one or two launches. Citing the case of Japan's H2 launch vehicle, which secured high reliability through dozens of operations, he explained that Nuri is also in a stage of building the ability to safely deploy satellites in various operating environments through a continuous process including the 5th launch.

Organic Combination of 370,000 Parts: 'System Integration' is Advanced Engineering

A launch vehicle like Nuri is a complex system that combines various engineering fields such as thermal, structural, fluid, and electrical/electronic. Team leader Jeong stated that the number of parts going into Nuri reaches approximately 370,000. This is nearly 20 times the scale of a typical automobile (about 20,000 parts). To manufacture these vast numbers of parts, about 300 domestic partner companies are participating under the leadership of Hanwha Aerospace.

In particular, the concept of 'system integration' was specifically addressed in this video. System integration does not mean a Lego-style assembly of simply physically combining parts, but refers to 'total engineering' work that coordinates each component to function organically. Even if individual parts pass performance tests, the core is to resolve variables that occur during the process of assembling and testing them as one. Team leader Jeong explained that finding the cause when a problem occurs, efficiently deploying resources to solve problems in unexpected situations such as a launch suspension, and even reviewing processes in advance to lower production difficulty are all within the realm of system integration.

From Government-Led to Private-Led: Paradigm Shift in the Space Industry

The reason why the leadership of Nuri development is being gradually transferred from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to private companies was also clearly presented. This is a measure to keep pace with the 'New Space' era, a global trend in space development. The goal is to move away from the government-led method and ensure that the private sector can secure economic viability and possess the self-sufficiency to provide commercial launch services.

Currently, the assembly of Nuri is being performed at the Naro Space Center under the leadership of KARI, but the technology and services are scheduled to be transferred to the private sector through the 4th to 7th launch processes. Accordingly, Hanwha Aerospace stated that it is building a single assembly plant in Suncheon to establish a private-sector-led assembly system, and the construction is currently nearly complete. From the future 6th launch (FM6), assembly led by private companies is planned to take place in Suncheon.

Securing Space Sovereignty Directly Linked to National Security

The transfer of the space industry to the private sector and the securing of launch vehicle technology also hold significant meaning in terms of national security. This is because if there is a reliance on foreign launch vehicle services, situations may arise where defense or communication satellites cannot be launched at the desired time when variables such as diplomatic friction occur. Therefore, possessing independent launch technology is evaluated as an essential process for securing the nation's space sovereignty.

Source: original video (YouTube)