The fourth launch of South Korea's first independently developed space launch vehicle, the Nuri rocket, scheduled for the early morning of the 27th, is three weeks away. This launch, overseen by Hanwha Aerospace, the Nuri system integration company, is significant as it provides an opportunity to thoroughly verify payloads and space technology developed by numerous domestic industry-academia-research collaborations. It is expected to serve as a catalyst for accelerating entry into the global space market by obtaining 'space heritage,' a record of verification in the space environment.

The Nuri rocket's fourth launch will carry a total of 13 satellites, including the main payload satellite, the 500 kg 'Next-Generation Medium Satellite 3' (NGMS-3), and 12 secondary payload satellites. The satellites are in the final stage of being mounted on the internal structure of the Nuri rocket's upper fairing. Park Jae-pil, CEO of domestic satellite company Nara Space, commented on the fourth launch of the Nuri rocket, stating, "The Nuri rocket, developed with taxpayers' money, is beginning to support domestic industry-academia-research collaborations in earnest, marking an important moment for the Korean space industry to leap into the global market."

● Challenge to Secure Korea's First Space Technology

The main satellite, NGMS-3, was developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). NGMS-3 carries three payloads. The 'Bio Cabinet' payload, created by Hallym University, attempts 3D bioprinting based on stem cells in the microgravity environment of space. The 'IAMMAP' measurement equipment developed by KAIST Satellite Research Center studies the impact of plasma on Earth's environment, while the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's (KASI) space wide-field and airglow observation camera 'ROKITS' observes auroras to analyze the impact of sunspot explosions on Earth's atmosphere.

Domestic industry-academia-research collaborations aim to secure Korea's first space technology verification cases through the 12 secondary payload satellites. A representative example is Korea's first Internet of Things (IoT) satellite, 'ETRISat,' developed by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). ETRISat conducts tests to collect data such as sea surface temperature and wave strength from 'marine buoys' in low Earth orbit and transmit it to ground stations. The data collected by ETRISat is used in the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology's (KIOST) marine climate prediction AI model to forecast climate. Yoo Jun-kyu, head of ETRI's Satellite Communication Infrastructure Research Division, stated, "We plan to verify a transmission method suitable for the low Earth orbit communication environment and secure a standard patent from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)."

Domestic space company 'Ujurotech' verifies space traffic management and space debris disposal technology with the satellite 'COSMIC.' After three months of operation, COSMIC will gradually lower its orbit through a self-disposal device equipped with a thruster and be disposed of to reduce space debris. During this process, space traffic management software tracks COSMIC from the start to the end of disposal, ensuring it is safely disposed of without colliding with other objects. Lee Sung-moon, CEO of Ujurotech, emphasized, "Overseas customers view space heritage as an important indicator in deciding whether to purchase technology. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first time Korea secures space heritage for space debris disposal technology."

Space medicine specialist company 'SpaceLynx' challenges the in-orbit protein crystallization research of the 'Pembrolizumab' component with the satellite 'BEE-1000.' Pembrolizumab is a key component of the immune checkpoint inhibitor and immunotherapy drug 'Keytruda.' It is the world's first attempt to crystallize the protein of an antibody-based immunotherapy drug in a CubeSat.

● Innovative Technologies Born from Universities Also Go to Space

AI-based data analysis company 'Hancom InSpace' sends 'Sejong 4,' equipped with domestically developed flight software (FSW), on the Nuri rocket. Lee Jung-min, executive director of Hancom, stated, "We developed FSW suitable for satellites based on the domestic real-time operating system (RTOS) 'NEOS,' and Sejong 4 plans to conduct multispectral imaging for public purposes such as agriculture, forestry, and urban monitoring."

Another payload satellite is the CubeSat 'E3T 1,' developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and domestic satellite company 'Nara Space Technology.' E3T challenges the space verification of eight types of domestic electrical and electronic component-grade parts and semiconductors from Samsung Electronics, KAIST, and MID at an altitude of 600 km for about 6 to 12 months.

CubeSats developed by Sejong University, KAIST, Inha University, Chosun University, and Seoul National University, selected through the 2022 CubeSat competition, are also carried on the Nuri rocket. Inha University challenges the world's first attempt to roll up and deploy solar cells in space within a CubeSat. Solar cells developed by the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) are also mounted.

Seoul National University's satellite 'SNUGLITE-3' separates into two satellites, 'Hana' and 'Duri,' once in space, attempting formation flight and eventually docking using magnets. Bae Young-hwan, a postdoctoral researcher at Seoul National University's GNSS Laboratory, who led the development of SNUGLITE-3, stated, "We conduct a challenging experiment to precisely determine and adjust the positions of Hana and Duri using GPS without thrusters, and by using a domestic launch vehicle, we avoided overseas transportation costs and could focus on enhancing the technology's completeness due to relatively easy schedule coordination and communication."

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