Nuri rocket's fifth flight begins transfer to launch pad

The Korea AeroSpace Administration and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said they began transferring the Nuri rocket to its launch pad at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The institute held a launch readiness committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, reviewing technical preparations and weather conditions before deciding to proceed with the transfer. The rocket is being transported on an unmanned special-purpose vehicle — known as a transporter — from the launch vehicle assembly building at Naro Space Center to Launch Pad No. 2, a journey expected to take about an hour and a half.

Once at the pad, the rocket will undergo preparatory work before being erected upright. Crews will then connect umbilical lines to supply power and propellants — including fuel and oxidizer — and conduct airtightness checks. If each step, from the transfer and erection to the umbilical connection, proceeds without issue, installation at the launch pad is expected to be completed Tuesday.

KASA plans to convene a Nuri Launch Management Committee on Wednesday morning to review technical readiness, weather and space environment conditions, and the possibility of collision with space objects, before setting the rocket's final launch time.