On June 21, 2022, South Korea reached an important milestone in the space race. The country has launched a satellite into orbit with his own rocket for the first time in its history.
South Korea becomes fully autonomous
This is a great first: South Korea has succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit using a rocket of national manufacture. It’s not anecdotal. Indeed, this launch proves that South Korea is now capable of gaining a foothold in the growing global space industry and strengthen its national defense arsenal with future spy satellites. The Nuri rocket lifted off on June 21 from Naro Space Center in Goheung. The objective of the mission was to place a set of satellites in orbit. Satellites that have no military purpose according to local authorities.
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The satellites in question were positioned about 700 kilometers above our heads. These are mini research satellites, called CubeSats. They were designed to go into orbit autonomously. Reaching orbit with its own technologies is a very important step for South Korea. This result is the result of many years of trial and error. The country has always been dependent on foreign technologies. Now, thanks to the performance of the Nuri rocket, South Korea is completely autonomous.
The 10th country to manufacture its own rockets
However, Nuri’s first test, which took place in October 2021, ended in failure, one of the engines had exploded prematurely. In another test, the satellite did reach space but was unable to stay in orbit. South Korea successfully launched its first satellite in 2013, but the rocket on which it was mounted had been partly manufactured in Russia.
By achieving this feat, South Korea is now the tenth country in the world to have sent a satellite into space using its own technology. In recent years, spacecraft launch technologies have been the subject of international restrictions because of their ability to carry missiles or spy satellites. Recently, the United Nations Security Council banned North Korea from launching space rockets. What North Korea did not respect.