About Unastella: it means 'one star' in latin and is a startup that wants to be one of the most brilliant stars of the newspace era. Starting with quasi-orbital space tourism (~100 km) in 2027, we will expand our manned spaceflight services to low-orbit manned space transport (~400 km) and deep space exploration (earth geostationary orbit, moon, mars).The first step toward space travel, we're starting.
Looks like they are trying to pull off electric motor pumped rocket engine. I’d say GOOD LUCK with that. Looks like they are attempting to cool the motor with the propellants given the tubes that they are routing to the pump inlet. No word on what propellants.
Methane would've been better choice for reuseable engine.
Methane would've been better choice for reuseable engine. Sent from my SM-T733 using Tapatalk
On July 12th, Jaehong Park, CEO of UNASTELLA, and Lloyd Damp, CEO of Southern Launch signed a contract at UNASTELLA’s HQ in Mapo-gu, Seoul, formalizing the use of the launch site. Southern Launch's spaceport, located in Whaler's Way, South Australia, is highly regarded for its broad southern launch angles, meeting the diverse needs of commercial space launch companies. It is particularly well-suited for sun-synchronous orbit launches, which are in high demand. Furthermore, the southern region of Australia is advantageous for rocket launches due to the absence of maritime and aviation traffic. The contract will provide UNASTELLA with comprehensive support from Southern Launch, including assistance with launch campaigns and the approval process from the Australian government. We would like to thank Lloyd Damp, CEO of Southern Launch, Director Peter Williams, and Senior Commercial Officer Juliet Woo of the Australian Embassy's Trade and Investment Commission for their swift and proactive efforts in facilitating this contract.
Unastella has secured 19.5 billion KRW in Series A funding, bringing its total investment amount to 28 billion KRW.With the launch of ”UNA EXPRESS-I“ scheduled for this year, Unastella plans to utilize the newly acquired funds to enhance its core technology in electric motor pump engines and to further develop subsequent launch vehicles.This investment round saw participation from 11 venture capital firms. Existing investors including Hana Ventures, Strong Ventures, Base Investment, Intervalue Partners, Daekyo Investment, and Ace Stone Ventures participated again, while new investors HB Investment, SBI Investment, Woori Venture Partners, Samho Green Investment, and KDB Capital joined the round.For the full press release, please visit our website. 🚀
According to the space industry and Unastella on the 24th, at 11:28 PM on the 22nd, Unastella attempted to launch ‘Una Express 1’ near the Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, but the launch vehicle failed to take off. It is reported that there was a problem with the engine propulsion system.Fortunately, there were no casualties. Park Jae-hong, CEO of Unastella, explained, “The flight termination system worked accurately during the engine ignition process, and the launch attempt ended safely without fire, casualties, or property damage.”Unastella is a startup established in February 2022 with the goal of being the first manned launch vehicle development startup in Korea. Its goal is to develop a launch vehicle capable of manned space flight up to 100 km in altitude and provide suborbital space travel services. To this end, we are developing our own engine based on an electric motor pump cycle engine system.Unastella developed the ‘Una Express 1’, which is 10m long and 0.7m in diameter, uses kerosene and liquid oxygen as fuel, and can reach a maximum altitude of 40km. This time, we attempted the first test launch targeting an altitude of 10km, but unfortunately failed. It is known that the ignition failed due to an engine problem.The launch vehicle was not damaged except for the engine system. CEO Park said, “The payloads on the launch vehicle are all fine.”Unastella plans to immediately analyze the cause of the failure and accelerate the launch of the second launch vehicle. CEO Park said, “Despite being the first attempt, all processes proceeded without a hitch, and for the first time, we were able to experience preparing for a private rocket launch on our own within Korean territory.” He added, “Based on the data we have acquired this time, we will immediately begin analyzing the cause and preparing for the next test launch.”
UNASTELLA’s first-ever rocket launch campaign concluded at 3:00 AM on November 23, marking a significant milestone for the company. This was the first attempt at a private rocket launch in South Korea, reached just 2 years and 9 months after the company was established. The UNA EXPRESS-I rocket was prepared according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) over 18 hours at Yeompo Village, Eo-naro Island, Goheung County, South Jeolla Province, on November 22. The launch was scheduled for 11:28 PM, but due to an engine ignition delay, the flight termination system (FTS) was triggered, and the launch was halted before takeoff. Although the launch failed, this campaign was a key milestone for UNASTELLA, demonstrating the company’s capabilities. UNASTELLA carried out all the necessary steps for a private rocket launch in South Korea on its own. Despite this being the first attempt, we reached T-0 without any issues, and most of the rocket was preserved undamaged, ensuring the safe conclusion of the campaign. UNASTELLA is now focused on preparations for its next launch and is ready to return in the first half of 2025 with an exciting new mission. We are always open to those who want to join us on our journey to space. Our journey continues.With us, to space. UNASTELLA!🪐🪐🪐
At 11:50 PM on May 28, 2025, UNASTELLA successfully launched its independently developed small launch vehicle, UNA EXPRESS-I, from its own site in Goheung, South Korea.The rocket carried a microgravity experiment payload developed by research teams from KARI, KIMM, KBSI, KRIBB, and Chungnam National University. It completed a flight distance of 10 km and landed precisely in the designated offshore recovery zone.This marks the first-ever successful rocket launch by a private company on South Korean territory.But this is only the beginning.Cheer us on as we continue our journey.With us, to space. UNASTELLA
From LinkedIn: QuoteAt 11:50 PM on May 28, 2025, UNASTELLA successfully launched its independently developed small launch vehicle, UNA EXPRESS-I, from its own site in Goheung, South Korea.The rocket carried a microgravity experiment payload developed by research teams from KARI, KIMM, KBSI, KRIBB, and Chungnam National University. It completed a flight distance of 10 km and landed precisely in the designated offshore recovery zone.This marks the first-ever successful rocket launch by a private company on South Korean territory.But this is only the beginning.Cheer us on as we continue our journey.With us, to space. UNASTELLA
🔥Unastella's flame does not go out. Unastella conducted its 22nd combustion test at the Yeoju rocket base on the 6th. The successful launch of UNA EXPRESS-I has already completed the flight verification of the combustor, We are not satisfied with this and are repeating tests to improve performance and efficiency through design changes~! In particular, in this campaign, • Application of new injector geometries to stabilize combustor pressure and improve combustion efficiency • Technical factors such as improved propellant supply performance through combustor fluid optimization were evaluated. The next UNA EXPRESS-II will embrace a flameheart that has been upgraded to the next level. Please join us in the hot story of Unastella today. Unastella is waiting with its doors wide open!(The video can be viewed on the Instagram https://lnkd.in/gHUy_iGQ.)
