Decision on next K-Rocket to be made by end of year

[Anchor]

Our government is developing a new launch vehicle to succeed the Nuri rocket, and following the recent success of SpaceX, there are calls to increase research and investment in reusable launch vehicles.

What will the new Korean rocket, which is expected to have specific plans by the end of the year, look like? We turn to Ji Hyung-cheol for more.

[Report]

The Korean launch vehicle, Nuri, was first launched in 2021.

There are plans to launch it three more times starting next year.

This is for performance improvement.

The technology gained from this will be applied to the next-generation launch vehicle, aiming to increase its size and power threefold for launching objects into space.

So far, the launch vehicle method has been a disposable rocket.

The schedule for the next-generation launch vehicle test launch in 2030 and the lunar exploration unmanned vehicle in 2032 is also in line with the development of disposable rockets.

However, there are recent claims that we need to shift towards a reusable rocket method to reduce costs.

Nevertheless, the reusable method also requires astronomical development costs, and changes in the space exploration schedule are inevitable, necessitating a cautious approach.

[Yoon Young-bin/Administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration/Sept./100-day briefing: "We are currently considering whether to use large reusable launch vehicles more or medium-sized ones. Reusable launch vehicles do not necessarily reduce development costs just because they are reused a few times."]

For this reason, there are discussions about gradually testing key technologies like retro propulsion on the next-generation launch vehicle, and completing the reusable method in the next launch vehicle development project.

It is a complex equation that requires predicting the satellite launch market ten years into the future.

The outline of the future Korean rocket is expected to be determined by the National Space Council in December.

This is Ji Hyung-cheol for KBS News.