Korea to launch military satellites aboard homegrown Nuri rocket in 2031

Published Oct 20, 2026 2:18 pm KST

Nuri rocket lifts off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Oct. 7. Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Administration

Korea plans to launch military reconnaissance satellites aboard its homegrown Nuri rocket in 2031 to bolster its space surveillance capabilities, the aerospace agency said Tuesday.

Oh Tae-seok, administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), unveiled the plan during a Cabinet meeting following Nuri's successful fifth launch earlier this month, which placed five Earth observation microsatellites into orbit. The plan calls for at least one Nuri launch annually through 2032.

Nuri's 11th launch, scheduled for 2031, will carry four electro-optical (EO) reconnaissance microsatellites. Korea has previously relied on foreign launch vehicles to deploy its military satellites.

The rocket's 12th launch in 2032 will carry three companion satellites designed to operate alongside the Arirang 8 multipurpose satellite, which will be equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capable of capturing images regardless of weather conditions or daylight.

As part of its broader launch schedule, KASA also plans to deploy five additional Earth observation microsatellites in the second half of 2027 and the fifth next-generation medium-sized satellite in 2028.

发布于2026年10月20日下午2:18（韩国标准时间）

10月7日，Nuri火箭从全罗南道高兴市罗老宇宙中心发射升空。图片由韩国航空航天管理局提供。

韩国航天局周二表示，韩国计划于 2031 年使用其自主研发的“努里”火箭发射军事侦察卫星，以增强其太空监视能力。

韩国航空航天局局长吴泰锡在本月初“努里”火箭第五次成功发射后，于内阁会议上公布了这项计划。此次发射将五颗地球观测微型卫星送入轨道。该计划要求到2032年，每年至少进行一次“努里”火箭发射。

努里运载火箭的第11次发射计划于2031年进行，届时将携带四颗光电侦察微型卫星。此前，韩国一直依赖外国运载火箭部署其军用卫星。

该火箭将于 2032 年进行第 12 次发射，届时将携带三颗配套卫星，这些卫星将与阿里郎 8 号多用途卫星一起运行。阿里郎 8 号将配备合成孔径雷达 (SAR)，无论天气状况或日光如何，都能拍摄图像。

作为其更广泛的发射计划的一部分，KASA 还计划在 2027 年下半年部署五颗额外的地球观测微型卫星，并在 2028 年部署第五颗下一代中型卫星。