Wesley's Tool-Box

Nuri, Korea's indigenous rocket also known as KSLV-2, took off from Naro Space Center for the first time in 2 and a half years at 1:13 AM today. This launch was the 4th overall, and also the first ever nighttime launch. I wasn't sure how well the photos and videos would turn out since all the rocket launches I've been to happened during the day. But I came in prepared and got the results I wanted.

For the equipment, I brought my well-trusted Nikon P1000 for the superzoom and my new iPhone 17 Pro Max as the back-up, relatively wide angle shot. Both were fortunately sensitive enough for capturing the visuals during this clear and dark night.

Using the iPhone's latest 8x zoom, I was able to take the photos of the whole launch site - the Launch Complex 2 (LC-2). I could even discern the rocket on the pad without much difficulty. But to get a much clearer look of Nuri, I still needed the P1000.

As you can see here, P1000 was able to capture clear images of the Nuri Rocket sitting on the launch pad, just like daytime. The video was more difficult, but it recorded enough details for me to recover with post processing.

The flames coming out of the rocket were quite bright, so the shots from the early parts of the launch progress were largely just bright flames with the rocket itself barely visible at the end. This was the biggest difference from the daytime shots, where the rocket was pretty recognizable up to the 1st stage separation.

Speaking of which, the visuals of the engine cut-off of the 1st stage were quite dazzling at night. Plus, the flame was visible for nearly 5 minutes total, which meant that I was able to see all the way to fairing separation and second stage separation. So you can say that the night launches have their own advantages. All in all, it was a special experience and I'm looking forward to more rocket launches in Korea.