South Korean startup UNA STELLA has successfully conducted a test launch of its independently developed small rocket from a site in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, marking the country’s first domestic test launch by a private space company.
The UNA EXPRESS-I rocket was launched at 11:50 p.m. on May 28 and reached its target distance of 10 kilometers before falling into a designated maritime safety zone, the company said on May 29.
UNA EXPRESS-I is a 9.45-meter-long, two-ton launch vehicle powered by a 5-ton-thrust engine using kerosene and liquid oxygen. The rocket carried a microgravity experiment device developed by research teams from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, Korea Basic Science Institute’s Seoul Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, and Chungnam National University.
It is the first time a private rocket has been test-launched within South Korea. In 2023, local aerospace firm Innospace conducted a test launch from Brazil.
The flight marks the first milestone under the “Space Pioneer” program, led by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), which seeks to localize key technologies for the space industry.
“We will actively support companies like UNA STELLA so they can carry out launches under better conditions,” said Yoon Young-bin, head of the Korea AeroSpace Administration.
