South Korea Sets 2031 Nuri Launch for Military Reconnaissance Satellites

South Korea plans to use its domestically developed Nuri rocket to launch military reconnaissance satellites in 2031, a step intended to strengthen the country’s independent space surveillance capabilities.

Korea AeroSpace Administration chief Oh Tae-seok presented the plan during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The briefing followed Nuri’s successful fifth launch earlier this month, when the rocket placed five Earth observation microsatellites into orbit.

Under the government’s schedule, Nuri is expected to fly at least once a year through 2032. Its 11th mission, planned for 2031, will carry four electro-optical reconnaissance microsatellites. These spacecraft are designed to gather imagery using visible or near-visible light, supporting observation from orbit.

The mission would mark a significant change in how South Korea deploys military satellites. The country has previously depended on foreign launch vehicles to put defense spacecraft into orbit. Using Nuri would bring the launch phase under domestic control alongside the development and operation of the satellites themselves.

The roadmap also includes a 12th Nuri launch in 2032. That flight is scheduled to carry three companion satellites that will operate with Arirang 8, a multipurpose satellite equipped with synthetic aperture radar. Unlike conventional optical imaging, radar observation can collect imagery regardless of daylight and through cloud cover, offering more consistent monitoring conditions.

Before the two missions, the aerospace agency plans several additional deployments. Five more Earth observation microsatellites are due to launch in the second half of 2027, while South Korea’s fifth next-generation medium-sized satellite is scheduled for 2028.

The sequence reflects a move from proving the Nuri vehicle’s basic launch capability toward using it for regular national missions. An annual flight schedule would also give agencies and satellite developers a more predictable path to orbit while allowing launch teams to build operational experience.

Nuri is South Korea’s first fully homegrown space launch vehicle. Its latest successful flight advanced the country’s microsatellite constellation program and provided the immediate backdrop for the government’s longer-term launch plan.

By assigning military reconnaissance payloads to the 2031 mission and radar-linked companion satellites to the following flight, the government is connecting its domestic rocket program with both security and civilian Earth observation goals. The schedule remains a multiyear plan, but it sets out specific payloads and missions for Nuri through 2032.