Korea Aerospace Research Institute


The Korea Aerospace Research Institute established in 1989, is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town. KARI's vision is to continue building upon indigenous launch capabilities, strengthen national safety and public service, industrialize satellite information and applications technology, explore the moon, and develop environmentally-friendly and highly-efficient cutting-edge aircraft and core aerospace technology. Current projects include the KSLV-2 launcher. Past projects include the 1999 Arirang-1 satellite. The agency was founded in 1989. Prior to South Korea's entry into the IAE in 1992, it focused primarily on aerospace technology.

Background

KARI began on October 10, 1989 as a national aerospace research institute with the purpose of contributing to sound development of the national economy and enhancement of people's lives through a new exploration, technological advancement, development, and dissemination in the field of aerospace science and technology.
KARI began in 1989 to develop its own rockets. It produced the KSR-I and KSR-II, one and two-stage rockets in the early 1990s.
In December 1997 it began development of a LOX/kerosene rocket engine. KARI wished to develop satellite launch capability. A test launch of the KSR-III took place in 2002.

Timeline

KARI is also developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, high-altitude airships, a next-generation multi-purpose helicopter project, next- generation medium satellite, and a lunar exploration project. In addition, several satellites, including the KOMPSAT Series, the COMS, and the STSAT, are developed, operated, or under development by KARI. On January 30, 2013, they launched a satellite into space from their own soil for the first time.

Mission and Major Functions

  1. Development of leading-edge technology aircraft, aircraft evaluation and testing, and support of national development projects
  2. Research and development of comprehensive system and core technology of aircraft, satellite, and space launch vehicle
  3. Support national aerospace development policy establishment, distribution, and diffusion of aerospace technology information
  4. Development and KSLV and Operation of Space Center
  1. Development of technology for assuring aerospace safety and quality, and maintenance of legal quality certification and internationally recognized certification systems
  2. Establishment and support of the National Aerospace Development Policy and dissemination of knowledge on aerospace technology
  1. Joint utilization of testing facilities and equipment with industries and academia, and training of scientists and engineers
  2. Transfer of technology from research and development and provisions for commercialization support

    Space Launch Vehicles

KSLV-1 and KSLV-2

KSLV-1 launched on August 25, 2009. It was originally a cluster indigenous liquid KSR-III rockets with a solid propellant to form a multistage launcher. However, KARI experienced more difficulties than expected in SLV development, because it required much stronger propellant power than KSR-III possessed to launch a satellite into orbit. After several failed attempts, KARI turned to Russia's Khrunichev Design Bureau for assistance in developing a liquid-propellant rocket engine for the KSLV-1 as well as for cooperation in the construction of the launch facility at the Naro Space Center. KSLV-1 was transformed into a two-stage launcher, 33 m high with a maximum diameter of 2.9 m. It has a mass of 140 tons at lift-off. The first stage of the launcher was derived from the Russian URM-1 developed by Khrunichev. The second stage of the launcher was a solid Kick Motor developed by Korea, which includes the Inertial Navigation System; the power, control, and flight safety systems; plus the nose fairing. KSLV-1 was the most prominent project of the whole South Korean space development program and was successfully launched in late January 2013.
South Korea is planning to launch its next rocket KSLV-2 by year 2021. The first stage of its rocket will have 4 clustered engines, each of which will have a 75 metric ton thrust. It was announced that KARI has already developed few prototypes of a 75 metric ton thrust engine.

KSLV-2 TLV

The Test Launch Vehicle is a one stage rocket used to test the performance of the 75-ton thrust rocket engine that will power the KSLV-2.
The TLV is 25.8 meters in length, 2.6 meters in diameter, and with a mass of 52.1 tons. The main-stage Kerolox engine is fully gimballed.
KRE-075 Engine
FuelRP-1/LOX
Thrust75 metric tons
Specific Impulse298s
Height2.9m
Diameter2m
Test flight #1
Wet Mass52.1t
Dry Mass38 tons
Height25.8m
Diameter2.6m
Stages1
EngineKRE-075

The first TLV was launched from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province.
The main objective of the first suborbital flight was for the single-stage rocket's main engine to burn 140 seconds, reaching a 100 km altitude before splashing down in the sea between Jeju Island and Okinawa Island.
The maiden flight was first delayed from October 25, 2018, for two months, due to abnormal readings detected in the rocket propellant pressurization system.
The test flight was then rescheduled for November 28, 2018, at 16:00 KST. No payload is to be placed into orbit.
The launch of the first TLV while deemed successful with its main engine burning for 151 seconds in a 10-minute flight, was not broadcast live.
After reaching a maximum suborbital altitude of 209 kilometers, the rocket stage hit the ocean 429 kilometers southeast of Jeju.

Korean Lunar Exploration Program

In December 2016, KARI signed a lunar exploration technical cooperation with NASA which increased the possibility of exploration success greatly. The Korean Lunar Exploration Program is divided in two phases. Phase 1 incorporates the launch and operation of a lunar orbiter called Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, which will be the first lunar probe by South Korea, meant to develop and enhance South Korea's technological capabilities, as well as map natural resources from orbit. Phase 2 will include a lunar obiter, a lunar lander, and a rover to be launched together on a KSLV-II South Korean rocket from the Naro Space Center, by 2030.

Satellite Navigation

KASS is the Korean model of satellite-based augmented systems, a technology that is capable of reducing GPS error to less than 3m.
Korea is expected to become the only seventh country in the world to own an SBAS, beginning in October 2022.

Korea Multiple- Purpose Satellite-3A

Korea Multiple-Purpose Satellite- 3A was launched on 25 March 2015, on a Dnepr-1 launch vehicle from the Jasny Kombarovsky site in Russia. The purpose of the KOMPSAT-3A is to enable us to take advantage of geographical information systems in environmental, agricultural, and oceanographic sciences, and to facilitate responding to natural hazards. The KOMPSAT-3A is equipped with two distinctive sensors, a high-resolution multi-spectral optical sensor, namely the Advanced Earth Image Sensor System-A, and the Scanner Infrared Imaging System.

Smart Tilt Rotor UAV

In late 2011, KARI unveiled its tiltrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that can fly at around 400 km/hr.