Blue Whale 1
A 21 meter, two-stage rocket built to put up to 200 kg into a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit, burning liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen.
Why it matters
Korea's private launch sector is young. Blue Whale 1 would give Korean and European small-satellite makers another dedicated ride, including from northern Sweden.
How the technology works
The first stage uses nine turbopump-fed BLUE 1S engines and the second stage one pressure-fed SKYBLUE engine, all burning liquefied natural gas with liquid oxygen, inside a carbon composite body 1.6 meters wide with a liftoff mass near 19.8 tonnes.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction