▷ 46 space launch vehicle engines were produced for seven years since 2016. ▷ The engine production up to the NURI 3rd launch has been completed. ▷ Beyond launch vehicle engines, Hanwha Aerospace seizes the challenge to acquire integrated system capabilities.

Hanwha Aerospace held a ceremony to ship the 75-ton engine used in NURI at its Changwon Plant in Gyeongsangnam-do on May 2, 2022.

The NURI 75-ton engine is the first space launch vehicle engine developed by S. Korea with proprietary technology and verified through flight tests. It is designed to withstand both extremely low temperatures reaching -180 °C of cryogenic liquid oxygen and the extremely high temperatures of 3,300 °C generated during combustion.

Space launch vehicle engine technology is practically impossible to transfer between countries, due to being classified as top secret for national security by space powerhouse nations such as the U.S. and Russia. All related technologies must be developed independently, making the technical difficulty high.

The shipment ceremony was held to commemorate the final delivery of the engines for the Korean Space Launch System (NURI) Development Project and was attended by officials from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and engine suppliers.

Since the first delivery of NURI’s 75-ton engine in March 2016, Hanwha Aerospace has produced a total of 46 engines, including 34 75-ton engines and 12 7d-ton engines. The 75-ton engine that was last shipped this time is scheduled to be used in the upcoming third launch of NURI.

≫ The image of the NURI engine being shipped at Hanwha Aerospace's Changwon Plant.

The Korean space launch vehicle NURI, consisting of three stages, is equipped with a total of six engines: four 75-ton class engines in the first stage, one 75-ton class engine in the second stage, and one 7-ton class engine in the third stage. Hanwha Aerospace is producing all the engines that will be mounted on the NURI launch vehicle.

The Korean space launch vehicle (NURI) Development Project is a mega-scale project that involves about 300 companies and a total budget of KRW 1.957 trillion. The project is led by the government, and aims to independently develop a space launch vehicle that can put a 1.5-ton commercial satellite into low-earth orbit (600-800km) from 2010 to 2022.

Hanwha Aerospace is participating in the production of various valves and test equipment, as well as the construction of turbopumps and 75-ton liquid rocket engines called the heart of NURI.

In the future, Hanwha Aerospace will produce additional NURI engines under the “Korean Space Launch Vehicle (NURI) Upgrade Project” and participate actively in the plan to maximize its capabilities by discovering and developing a comprehensive space launch system company.

≫ Engineers maintain the NURI engine at Hanwha Aerospace's Changwon Plant.

Hanwha Aerospace CEO Shin Hyun-woo stated that Hanwha Aerospace has been participating in the launch vehicle business for 23 years since 1999. He emphasized that in addition to engine production, the company will strive to maximize its capabilities as a comprehensive system company and become one of the leading companies in the space industry.

Concurrently, in March 2021, Hanwha Group launched Space Hub, which will combine the capabilities of Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, and Hanwha's affiliates. It is currently working on a variety of projects, such as launch vehicles, satellites, and exploration, in the form of a consortium of domestic and international strategic partners, such as Satrec Initiative, Hanwha Phasor, Kymeta, and OneWeb.