Overview

• South Korea launched its homegrown Nuri space rocket and placed several working satellites into orbit.
• The launch came after two previous failures of the Nuri rocket in 2021.
• The Nuri rocket has been a decade in development at a cost of two trillion won and is key to South Korea's space ambitions.
• South Korea plans crewed missions to the moon and Mars as well as spy satellites and lunar probes with the Nuri rocket.
• North Korea is also preparing to launch its first military spy satellite, raising regional tensions.