Space: South Korea successfully launched the first indigenously designed space rocket

But it failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit, as the third-stage engine stopped working earlier than expected.

“Nouri separates the fake satellite‘, South Korean television YTN reported on Tuesday a few minutes after takeoff, claiming shortly after launch.It seems to be successful“.

During Tuesday’s test, Nuri carried, along with the dummy satellite, a rocket performance-checking satellite and four satellites developed by four local universities for research purposes.

The development of this missile took about ten years, at a cost of 2,000 billion won (1.46 billion euros). With six liquid-fuel engines, it weighs 200 tons and has a length of 47.2 meters.

South Korea ranks as the 12th largest economy in the world and one of the most technologically advanced, particularly with the flagship, Samsung Electronics Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones and chips.

But it has always lagged behind in the conquest of space, with the Soviet Union leading the way with its first satellite launch in 1957, and the United States closely following it. In Asia, China, Japan and India have developed advanced space programs.