The Nuri rocket stands upright at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, on the afternoon of November 26, awaiting its fourth launch. (Image provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute)
GOHEUNG, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The successful fourth launch of South Korea’s Nuri rocket has renewed attention on the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province — the country’s first and only launch site, and the core of its rapidly expanding space ambitions.
Opened in 2009 on Oenarodo Island, the Naro Space Center serves as the national hub for rocket development and satellite launch operations.
The facility was built in two major phases: the first, from 2000 to 2010, supported the development and launch of the Naro-1 rocket for 100-kilogram-class satellites; the second, from 2009 to 2022, established research infrastructure and a launch pad for the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II), known as Nuri, capable of carrying 1.5-ton satellites.
The government invested a total of 560.6 billion won (about US$420 million) in the project. The site now spans more than 5.5 million square meters, with extensive facilities including launch pads, assembly and test buildings, mission control, flight tracking centers and a public space science museum.
On the morning of May 23, 2023, one day before its third launch, the Korean launch vehicle Nuri (KSLV-II) is being erected and secured on the launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. (Yonhap)
Although most of the center is restricted, visitors can access the museum near the entrance, and guided tours of the launch complex are offered during the annual aerospace festival.
Nuri has now launched four times from Goheung. After an initial partial failure in 2021, the rocket achieved full success in June 2022 and again in May 2023, culminating in its fourth successful launch this week — its first in two and a half years. The earlier Naro rocket faced two failed attempts before finally reaching orbit in 2013.
The space center has become deeply woven into Goheung’s identity. Local businesses — from cafés and hotels to beach resorts and even funeral homes — routinely brand themselves with the word “space,” reflecting civic pride in the region’s role as the nation’s gateway to orbit.
Provincial officials are now pushing to secure a second, more advanced launch complex for the region. “The establishment of a second space center, a national policy priority, would mark a new chapter for Jeonnam’s space industry ecosystem,” a provincial spokesperson said. “We are working to bring the full launch vehicle lifecycle — testing, assembly and launch — into one integrated cluster.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)