Perigee Aerospace

Perigee Aerospace is a private developer and manufacturer of orbital and sub-orbital launch vehicles located in Daejeon, South Korea. The company was formally established in 2018, but work began in 2012,[1] initially with the launch of sounding rockets.[3]

Perigee Aerospace
TypePrivate
Founded2018 (2018)[1]
Headquarters,
Key people
Yoon Shin, CEO[1]
Number of employees
30[2]
Websiteperigee.kr

As of 2019, Perigee Aerospace employed 30 people. It develops the small orbital rocket Blue Whale 1. As of 2019, the company also planned to develop a larger rocket.[2]

Vehicles

Blue Whale 1

Blue Whale 1
FunctionSmall-lift Orbital launch vehicle
ManufacturerPerigee Aerospace
Country of originSouth Korea
Cost per launchUS$2 million[4]
Size
Height1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)[4]
Diameter760 mm (30 in)[4]
Mass1,790 kg (3,950 lb)[4]
Capacity
Payload to 500km SSO
Mass50 kg (110 lb)[4]
Payload to 500km LEO
Mass63 kg (139 lb)[4]
Launch history
StatusIn Development
Launch sitesWhalers Way Orbital Launch Complex
First flightTBD
First stage
Specific impulse288s (ground), 348s (vacuum)
Burn time150s
PropellantLOX/LNG

The two-stage[1] Blue Whale 1 is planned to become the smallest orbital rocket in the world with a mass of only 1790 kg. Launching from a pad owned by Southern Launch at Whalers Way in South Australia it can deliver up to 50 kg to a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 500 km.[2] The maiden flight was planned for July 2020 but did not happen as of November 2020. Perigee Aerospace hopes to build the capacity to launch up to 40 Blue Whale 1 rockets per year[1] at a price of US$2 million.[4]

Sounding Rockets

According to an interview posted on the website of Explore University in March 2020, an educational program by Dong-A Science[5], Perigee Aerospace also planned to launch a sounding rocket developed in collaboration with KAIST.[6]

See also

References

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