The Naro Space Center is a South Korean

spaceport A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport''—and even more so ''cosmodrome''—has traditionally referred to sites capable of ...

in South Jeolla's Goheung County, operated by the state-run

Korea Aerospace Research Institute The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI; ), established in 1989, is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town. KARI's vision is to continue building upon in ...

. The spaceport is located about south of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. It includes two launch pads, a control tower, rocket assembly and test facilities, facilities for satellite control testing and assembly, a media center, an electric power station, a space experience hall and a landing field. It has supported 5 launches including the KSLV-II launch in 2021, and will support SSLV launches in 2025.

History

Naro-1

The first launch, initially planned for August 19, 2009, was performed on August 25, 2009 using a Russo-South Korean

Naro-1 Naro-1 (), previously designated the Korea Space Launch Vehicle or KSLV (also KSLV-1), was South Korea's first carrier rocket, and the first South Korean launch vehicle to achieve low Earth orbit, Earth orbit. On January 30, 2013, the third Naro ...

rocket, but failed to reach the desired orbit. Another rocket launch from Naro was planned for May 2010, but delays pushed the launch to June. On June 10, 2010, this second attempt also ended in failure when the rocket lost communications 137 seconds after launch. The South Korean science minister Ahn Byung-man later told reporters that the rocket was believed to have exploded. A third attempt was made on January 30, 2013 and finally succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit.

KSLV-II TLV

The TLV (Test Launch Vehicle) was the second vehicle to use the Naro Space Center. It was launched on a suborbital mission on November 28, 2018, having a mission objective of qualifying the KRE-075 engine which powers the KSLV-II. The launch was a success. The single-stage TLV rocket reached an altitude of 209 kilometers before splashing down into sea; the flight was 10 minutes long.

Nuri

On 21 October 2021 the

Nuri Nuri is a place in modern Sudan on the west side of the Nile River, Nile, near the Fourth Cataract. Nuri is situated about 15 km north of Sanam, Sudan, Sanam, and 10 km from Jebel Barkal. History Nuri is the second of three Napatan bur ...

rocket (KSLV-II) was launched on its maiden flight from Naro. The rocket reached the planned altitude but failed to put a dummy satellite payload into orbit due to a problem with the rocket's third stage. While South Korea says it intends to use Nuri to launch satellites exclusively, the test has also been viewed by some experts as part of the country's ongoing efforts to develop ballistic missile capabilities. The second flight of Nuri on 21 June 2022 successfully reached orbit.

Facilities

LC-1 (LB-1)

LC-1, also called LB-1 for the pad itself, is the first pad constructed in the Naro Space Center. It supported 3

launches and the KSLV-II TLV launch. It will also support the SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) launches from 2025. It is located at .

LC-2 (LB-2)

LC-2, also called LB-2 for the pad itself, is the second pad in the Naro Space Center. It supported the first Nuri launch in 2021. Different from LC-1, which doesn't have an umbilical tower, LC-2 has a tower to support the KSLV-II. It is located at . File:나로호(KSLV-I) 발사대 기립 (3).jpg, Naro-1 at LC-1 File:나로호(KSLV-I) 발사대 기립 야경 (41).jpeg, Naro-1 at LC-1 File:Nuri KSLV-II TLV.jpg, KSLV-II TLV at LC-1 File:Pas-de-tir-du-lanceur-KSLV-II-à-Naro-3.jpg, Nuri at LC-2 File:제2발사대에 기립되는 누리호3 (1729).jpeg, Nuri at LC-2

References

External links

Official Website (English)Naro Space Center information page on www.kari.re.kr (Korean) Korea's space program to blast off as space center nears completion
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 2009 2009 establishments in South Korea Spaceports in Asia Buildings and structures in South Jeolla Province Rocket launch sites in South Korea Goheung County