Launch of 370-billion-won Arirang-6 satellite delayed again; Nuri rocket targets September liftoff

The launch of the Arirang-6 multipurpose satellite, originally scheduled for the second half of this year, has been pushed back to the first half of next year.

The next-generation medium satellite 4 is targeting a July 9 launch, and South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket is gearing up for a September liftoff.

Korea AeroSpace Administration chief Oh Tae-seok announced the updated launch schedules for the satellites and the Nuri rocket at a press briefing Wednesday.

Arirang-6 is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite capable of capturing imagery at night and in adverse weather conditions that prevent conventional optical observation satellites from operating. Development was completed in 2022 at a cost of 370 billion won ($241 million).

The satellite was originally set to launch aboard Russia's Angara rocket in the second half of 2022, but the Russia-Ukraine war made that impossible. The launch vehicle was switched to Arianespace's Vega-C in 2023, and the mission has since been delayed repeatedly — in December 2023, December 2024, and again in the second half of 2025.

Arirang-6 had been scheduled to fly on Arianespace's Vega-C rocket in the second half of this year, but delays in the development of an Italian satellite sharing the same launch have made that timeline untenable.

"Global launch demand has surged in recent years, making it increasingly difficult to secure a foreign launch vehicle at the desired time," Oh said. "KASA has been reviewing various alternatives with Arianespace, and we are adjusting the schedule to target a second-quarter launch next year as the option that minimizes delays while ensuring a stable mission."

Arirang-6 is currently stored in a cleanroom at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. KASA plans to closely monitor the satellite's condition until launch.

The next-generation medium satellite 4 and the Nuri rocket are both set to launch in the second half of this year. The next-generation medium satellite 4 is completing final launch preparations at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with liftoff targeted for July 9.

The 500-kilogram-class Earth observation satellite is jointly operated by the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service. It is designed for direct public benefit, supporting applications such as crop growth analysis and forest fire monitoring.

Preparations are underway for the Nuri rocket's fifth launch, targeting September.

Nuri is a three-stage, domestically developed launch vehicle designed to place 1.5-ton-class satellites into low Earth orbit at altitudes of 600 to 800 kilometers, giving South Korea an independent space transport capability.

"Assembly of the first, second and third stages of Nuri's fifth vehicle is set to be completed this week, with full rocket assembly beginning next week," Oh said. "We plan to hold the Nuri Launch Management Committee in early August to make a final launch decision. As of now, a September launch is expected."

Also in the second half of the year, a Korean-developed lunar surface space environment monitor called LUSEM will be carried aboard a NASA Artemis program lunar lander.

"The IM-3 lunar lander from US company Intuitive Machines will be loaded onto a Falcon 9 rocket and is scheduled to land in the western region of the Moon," Oh said. "Integration with the lunar lander is currently proceeding smoothly, and through this mission we will obtain scientific data on the space radiation environment on the lunar surface."