Nuri (KSLV-II) flies into space; CNT fibers mounted on satellite substrate also remain trouble-free

[Financial News] As Nuri’s fifth launch, conducted last month, proceeded successfully, it has been confirmed that carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers mounted on a CubeSat substrate are also functioning normally in space.
DRB Dongil said on the 11th that analysis of fiber-condition data received from Space&Bean’s CubeSat ‘SD-1 SAT’ confirmed that its CNT fibers had remained largely unchanged.
Space&Bean, which operates the satellite, also said the CNT fiber payload was functioning normally and communications with the satellite were proceeding smoothly.
SD-1 SAT was carried aboard Nuri (KSLV-II), launched at around 12:25 p.m. on the 7th of last month from the Naro Space Center in Goheung County, South Jeolla Province, and placed into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 579 km. The ground station received its first signal at around 2 p.m. that day, confirming normal operation, and communications with the ground station have continued since.
DRB Dongil’s CNT fibers were installed on the SD-1 SAT substrate as test specimens. As the satellite orbits, the fibers’ condition is measured periodically and sent to the ground, where Space&Bean receives the data and passes it on to DRB.
The analysis found that DRB’s CNT fibers remained stable throughout the orbital flight. The satellite repeatedly undergoes large temperature swings as it moves between sunlit daytime stretches and nighttime stretches in Earth’s shadow, but the fibers showed no signs of damage or performance degradation.
Space is a harsh environment where intense radiation, high vacuum and extreme temperature changes act simultaneously. Even materials that perform well on the ground can undergo unexpected changes in actual orbit. For that reason, a track record of testing in space itself—so-called “space heritage”—is considered an important requirement for entering the space materials market.
A DRB Dongil official said, “It is significant that data has confirmed that CNT fibers directly synthesized and produced by DRB remain stable in the actual space environment as well.” The official added, “Based on the data from this demonstration, we will strengthen research and development in high-value-added materials, including CNT fibers, and use this as a basis to pursue expansion of business areas over the medium to long term.”
[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter