As the world holds its breath, Korea sets off its third Nuri rocket, but what is its true objective?

South Korea successfully launched its Nuri rocket for the third time, carrying eight satellites into orbit, including the NEXTSat-2, a next-generation small satellite equipped with a homegrown synthetic aperture radar. The other seven cube satellites were developed by private companies and the Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute for a variety of Earth observation, waste-reduction technology testing, and microplasma changes in space analysis missions. The rocket reached its targeted altitude of 550 kilometres and released all eight satellites into orbit. The software communication failure issue on the ground that delayed the launch for three hours on Wednesday has been fixed after continuous tests. Hanwha Aerospace, the space arm of South Korea’s seventh-largest conglomerate Hanwha Group, participated in the Nuri rocket’s third launch as a system integration company, marking the first private company’s involvement in the project. The rocket project, with a budget of $1.5 billion, began in 2010, and is expected to enhance South Korea’s space industry.

>>Join our Facebook Group be part of community. <<