Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)

New Capabilities

Supervising launch operations as technology transfers to Hanwha Aerospace

South Korea's Nuri rocket placed five NEONSAT microsatellites in orbit on Oct. 7, and all five made contact with ground stations within hours. They sent back their first images about 14 hours after liftoff, the Korea AeroSpace Administration said on Oct. 15.

Updated Oct 24

Built World

As of May 2026: Primary customer; CAS500-2 is its second high-resolution Earth observation satellite

For most of the space age, putting a satellite into orbit meant booking an entire rocket—an option available only to governments and the largest companies. SpaceX's rideshare program inverted that model: pay by the kilogram, share the ride, and launch on a schedule set by the operator, not the customer.

Updated May 31