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South Korea successfully conducted its third trial flight of a homegrown solid-fuel space rocket carrying a satellite in waters off Jeju Island on Monday. This most recent launch comes after two previous test launches in March and December 2022.

The rocket, developed by the Agency for Defense Development, was launched from a barge in waters 4 kilometers off the coast of Jeju’s Jungmun Beach at 2 pm. The rocket was launched from a floating barge because South Korea does not possess a land-based launch pad for solid-fuel rockets. When a second test launch was conducted without announcement one evening in December last year, sightings of the rocket’s trajectory sparked UFO rumors.

The rocket carried a synthetic aperture radar satellite, designed and developed by Hanwha Systems for Earth observation. The satellite separated from the rocket and entered into orbit at an altitude of around 650 km, and succeeded in its first communication with its control center. The first and second test launches carried dummy satellites, making this the first solid-fuel rocket to carry an actual satellite.

“Original plans for the third test launch involved a dummy satellite, but we had the opportunity to use a privately developed satellite from Hanwha, creating a win-win situation. We took advantage of that opportunity,” said an official from the Ministry of National Defense.

The test launches are part of a campaign to send five reconnaissance satellites into space by 2025. The reconnaissance satellites will be developed by the Agency for Defense Development, rather than private contractors. The Hanwha satellite weighs about 100 kg, but the ministry aims to increase the solid-fuel rocket’s payload capacity to 1,500 kg.

Solid-fuel rockets are simpler in structure, easier to store and transport, cheaper to build, and require less preparation time to launch than liquid-fuel rockets. This makes them more suitable for low-orbit observation and reconnaissance satellites, which are a relatively lighter payload. Once South Korea finishes its development of solid-fuel space rockets, its military will be able to quickly launch lighter, smaller reconnaissance satellites adequate for surveilling North Korea.

Solid-fuel rockets can also be equipped with warheads instead of satellites, meaning they can be utilized as ballistic missiles.

However, when another ministry source was questioned about solid-fuel rockets potentially being used to deliver warheads, they replied, “The solid-fuel rocket was designed as a space rocket, and that’s what it will be used for.”

The South Korean military plans on launching five military reconnaissance satellites to surveil North Korea by 2025. North Korea is also developing solid-fuel propellants for delivering medium-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles — if it hasn’t already. This may be the dawn of a new phase in an inter-Korean space race, with each side taking turns firing rockets.

By Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter; Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

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