Following a two-and-a-half year wait, South Korea has scheduled the fourth launch of the homegrown Nuri carrier rocket (KSLV-II) for November 27, 2025. In a significant development, this will be the first launch led by a private company, Hanwha Aerospace, as well as South Korea's first early-morning rocket liftoff.
According to South Korean media outlets Money Today and Aju News, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is conducting final inspections ahead of the Nuri rocket's upcoming launch. The rocket is scheduled to lift off between 00:54 and 01:14 local time from the Naro Space Center in Goheung County, South Jeolla Province.
At a recent media briefing about the fourth launch, Young-min Han, head of KARI's Space Launch Vehicle Research Institute, confirmed that major preparations have been completed, and final checks are underway. Tensions are somewhat high at the launch site, due to the long interval since the rocket's last launch, and the fact that this will be its first nighttime operation.
This marks South Korea's return to space rocket launches after the previous one in May 2023. Earlier missions were led by former Space Launch Vehicle Research Institute director Jeong-hwan Ko, but command has now been passed to Korean Launch Vehicle Enhancement Program director Jong-chan Park, a two-decade veteran of the development of the Nuri system.
Operational changes under new leadership
The change in leadership also led to some shifts among the launch team, but the most significant difference is that this will be the first mission where Hanwha Aerospace has taken a leading role in rocket assembly and manufacturing. In August 2025, KARI signed a technology transfer agreement with Hanwha Aerospace, handing over the full technical know-how of the Nuri rocket, in more than 16,000 documents spanning design, production, launch, and operations.
Under this framework, Hanwha Aerospace will manage all aspects for the fourth Nuri vehicle, from component supplier coordination to stage assembly and full rocket integration. For the remaining fifth and sixth launches, Hanwha Aerospace's involvement will expand further, ultimately taking over KARI's transferred technologies to play a leading role in South Korea's launch vehicle industry.
Technically, the fourth launch features several modifications compared to the third. One key update involves the satellite adapter structure inside the rocket's third-stage fairing: the third launch carried seven CubeSats on a single adapter, but the fourth will deploy twelve CubeSats, which necessitates structural adjustments.
Additionally, to fully document the CubeSat ejection process, two cameras have been added for this launch, up from just one during the previous mission. Apart from these changes, engine hardware and fuel tanks remain unchanged, according to Young-min Han.
First-ever night launch for specific mission considerations
This launch will also be South Korea's first conducted in the early morning hours. The primary payload—the Next-Generation Medium Satellite 3—will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 600 kilometers above Earth for observing phenomena such as auroras and airglow. The optimal launch window for reaching this orbit falls around 1 a.m.
However, exact launch time may shift depending on weather conditions and collision risk assessments, and Han noted that the official timing will be finalized by South Korea's Launch Management Committee, and could be moved slightly earlier.
Many experts view this Nuri launch as a critical test of Hanwha Aerospace's emerging leadership role in the space industry, with growing anticipation that the company could evolve into South Korea's answer to SpaceX.
Article translated by Kevin Wang and edited by Joseph Chen
