From spy satellites to mobile networks, S.Korea hopes new rocket gets space programme off ground

Space rockets on the Korean peninsula have been fraught with concerns over their potential use for military purposes, leaving South Korea’s efforts lagging more capable programmes in China and Japan.

South Korea plans to test its first domestically produced space launch vehicle next week, a major step toward jump starting the country’s space programme andachieving ambitious goals in 6G networks, spy satellites, and even lunar probes.

(Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today's Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click to subscribe for free.)

If all goes well, the three-stage NURI rocket, designed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to eventually put 1.5-ton payloads into orbit 600 to 800 km above the Earth, will carry a dummy satellite into space on Thursday.