Korea’s Nuri Rocket Contacts Main Satellite and Five Ride-Alongs; Seven More Being Checked
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
South Korea’s Nuri rocket successfully placed the next-generation medium satellite (Chajung-3) into its target orbit and established two-way contact with ground stations, including the Antarctic King Sejong station and Daejeon. Chajung-3 passed initial health checks and will undergo two months of commissioning before beginning a one-year sun-synchronous orbit science mission, carrying instruments such as a bio 3D-printing stem cell experiment, plasma–magnetic field sensors, and a wide-field atmospheric optics observer. Of the 12 secondary (ride-along) microsatellites launched, five—built by ETRI, CosmoWorks, Inha University, and KAIST—have also made contact; teams are still attempting to reach the remaining seven and will report a comprehensive status on Dec. 2. The space agency said the launch advances Korea’s satellite testing and industry capabilities and plans to continue preparing future Nuri flights.
