Space is hard. As the recent failures by Astra and Firefly Alpha show.
Nuri's maiden flight failed because the third stage shut down too early.
Korea's New Rocket Falls Short Of Orbit, But Is Still A Big Step Forward
Astra's last attempt also failed shortly before orbital injection, because of premature enigne shutdown.
The rocket is called Nuri and built by KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute). It will launch from Naro Space Center, South Korea and deliver 4 CubeSats and a 1'500 kg placeholder payload to sun-synchronous orbit.
In comparison with other small-lift launchers, Nuri one is on the larger end:
| Rocket | Height [m] | Diameter [m] | Payload to SSO [kg] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuri | 47 | 3,5 | 1'500 |
| Firefly Alpha | 29 | 1,8 | 630 |
| Electron | 18 | 1,2 | 200 |
p.s. not all space industry CEOs are as hilarious as Elon Musk. He used a wheel of cheese and a car as test payloads. Elon's Tesla can be tracked on whereisroadster.com
Where to watch:
Check your local time at: www.timeanddate.com
Useful links to stay up to date on launches:
Spaceflightnow.com: Launch Schedule
Everyday Astronaut: Prelaunch Previews
Space News:
NASA Spaceflight nasaspacefight.com
TMRO: YouTube