South Korea's Nuri rocket soared a fifth time — on the dot, with 14 satellites aboard

At 12:25 p.m. on October 7, South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket lifted off from the Naro Space Center — and for the first time ever, it launched exactly on schedule, with zero delays. It released 14 satellites one by one, including five NEONSAT Earth-observation microsatellites, and made first contact with one of them via a station in Antarctica less than an hour later. It was the rocket's fourth consecutive success. But the quieter milestone is who flew it: more than 300 private South Korean companies now lead production and launch operations, marking the country's pivot to a private-sector-led space program.