Seoul (DPA) – According to media reports, South Korea has presented a complete model of space rocket for the first time by its own development.

As national news agency Yonhap reported, a test version of the Nuri launcher was taken to the launch platform of the Naro Space Center in Gohang in the south of the country and parked there. Among other things, the model is to be tested for refueling on the ramp. In October this year, the three-stage Nuri rocket is scheduled to launch a satellite into space from Goheng.

The rocket is being developed by the Korean Space Research Institute (Qari). According to their information, the rocket can bring a 1.5-ton satellite into a low orbit at an altitude of 600 to 800 km above the Earth’s surface.

As part of its ambitious space program, South Korea is developing its own launch vehicle to get into the business of transporting satellites as much as possible. According to Yonhap, the development cost of this amount is two trillion won (about 1.5 billion euros). In early 2013, South Korea launched a research satellite into orbit for the first time from its own country. The launch was successful with the KSLV-1 launcher, which was built with Russian help.

South Korea also plans to launch its own lunar probe next year. The country is one of the signatories to the US space agency NASA’s Artemis program for cooperation in space. The plan is to send people to destinations such as the Moon and Mars with fully reusable take-off and landing systems.