The first stage, second stage, and dummy satellite separations were successful, but the combustion of the third stage engine prematurely terminated.
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Administrator
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Registration Date
2021-10-27
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□ The Ministry of Science & ICT(Minister Lim Hye-sook, MSIT) announced that the Nuri launched at 5 pm today carried out its normal flight process. However, the third stage engine’s combustion prematurely terminated, leading to the dummy satellite failing to settle into low Earth orbit because it did not achieve a speed of 7.5 km/s; however, it did reach the targeted apogee of 700 km.
ㅇAccording to the analysis by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute(President Lee Sang-ryool, KARI), the Nuri successfully performed the first stage separation and fairing and second stage separation, but the 7-ton liquid fuel engine mounted in the third stage failed to burn for the intended 521 seconds and stopped prematurely at 475 seconds.
□ Although today’s launch was semi-successful, it still represents a significant achievement for being the first-ever test flight of Korea’s first space launch vehicle developed solely with homegrown technology having completed all launch stages and secured crucial technologies.
* First stage engine ignition → takeoff → first stage engine combustion and first stage separation → fairing separation → second stage engine ignition and combustion → third stage engine ignition and combustion → dummy satellite separation
ㅇThe first stage of the Nuri applies the core technology of clustering four 75-ton engines to produce 300-ton thrust, and today’s launch successfully completed the first stage flight.
ㅇAchieving the separation technology by successfully completing the first stage, fairing, second stage, and third stage ignition and separation is also a domestic milestone.
□ The outcome shows that a considerable level of launch vehicle technology has been accumulated in Korea.
□ MSIT plans to immediately create the Launch Investigation Committee involving KARI researchers and outside experts to ascertain the cause of the third stage engine’s premature termination and correct the problems ahead of the second launch.
☐"First off, I would like to thank everyone for their generous encouragement and continued support for the launch of the Nuri,” said Lim Hye-sook, the Minister of MSIT.
ㅇShe added, "we, at the ministry, humbly take today's results to learn from them and better supplement the shortcomings, and shall continue to push ahead to overcome the challenges of aerospace flight and achieve our vision of joining the aerospace incumbents.”