The main performance verification orbiter mounted on the country's first homegrown rocket, Nuri, released its first cube-shaped mini satellite on Wednesday. 

The science ministry and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said the cube satellite or CubeSat developed by a team at Chosun University successfully detached at around 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday, adding that a beacon signal from the satellite was transmitted to a ground station in Daejeon at around 3:48 a.m. on Thursday.

The transmitted signal indicated that the cube satellite’s battery mode and voltage were all operational. However, the ministry and the aerospace agency said they had received beacon signals from the satellite only twice, far fewer than the intended 20 times.

They assessed that the CubeSat has yet to stabilize, adding that once its position becomes stable, complete two-way communication will be possible.

The satellite released on Wednesday is one of four mini orbiters developed by local universities for research purposes. They will be used to observe the Earth's atmosphere, Baekdu Mountain and fine dust levels across the country.