South Korea on Thursday, November 27, 2025, carried out the fourth launch of its own carrier rocket “Nuri,” placing 13 satellites into orbit.
Yonhap News Agency reported on this event, citing official sources from the country; Ukrinform transmitted the information.
Launch and Space Missions
The 200-ton rocket lifted off from the southern spaceport at 1:13 local time (18:13 Kyiv time). The time adjustment was due to one sensor requiring verification.
Approximately two minutes after liftoff, the first stage separated, and four and a half minutes later – the second stage.
Reaching an altitude of about 600 km, the payloads entered the planned orbits. The primary satellite CAS500-3 at 1:55 a.m. established a stable link with the South Korean research center in Antarctica, which allowed checking the spacecraft’s condition and confirming its readiness for operation.
The main satellite will be used for scientific research, including measurements of magnetic fields and plasma, as well as studies of the aurora. The other 12 CubeSats (cube dimensions 10×10×10 cm³ and mass up to 1.4 kg each) are intended for various experiments.
The total payload mass was about 960 kg.
Experts will continue monitoring the main satellite using ground stations, notably in the city of Daejeon and in Norway.
The Nuri flight lasted about 18 minutes and ended at 1:31 a.m. Afterwards, the rocket’s remnants will burn up in the atmosphere during re-entry.
President of South Korea Lee Jae-myeon congratulated the citizens on the mission’s success and expressed the intention to elevate the country into the top five spacefaring nations.
“South Korea’s carrier rocket ‘Nuri’, which launched today at 01:13, successfully delivered to orbit satellites with practical significance. This opens a new chapter in our country’s space exploration history, and this is only the beginning. We will continue to improve the lives of our fellow citizens through science and technology and further strive to join the top five world space powers”
– President of South Korea Lee Jae-myeon
The history of the Nuri launches began in 2021 with the first attempt to use a 1.5-ton prototype. In 2022 there was a second attempt, which ended in success – the rocket placed a Performance Verification Satellite (PVSAT) into orbit and a 1.3-tonne model of another device. The third mission in 2023 was also successful and placed a modern small satellite and seven smaller devices into orbit.
The space agency emphasized that today’s mission marked the first night-time launch footage and the first instance of rocket assembly being performed by private company Hanwha Aerospace within a government program to transfer space technologies to the private sector.
In the future, the country plans new launches in 2026 and 2027 with the participation of Hanwha Aerospace, which is gradually transferring rocket-launch technologies to the private sector.
This series of launches underscores South Korea’s growing ambitions in the space sector and its drive to develop science, technology, and the appropriate infrastructure for future research.