It wasn't immediately clear whether the three-stage Nuri rocket succeeded in delivering a dummy payload – a 1.5-ton block of stainless steel and aluminum – into orbit 372 to 497 miles above Earth. SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea test launched its first domestically produced space rocket on Thursday in what officials describe as an important step in the country's pursuit of a satellite launch program. Officials described it as an important step in the country's pursuit of a satellite launch program. The Nuri rocket, South Korea's first domestically produced space rocket, lifts off from a launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung.
