Naro Space Center Space Science Museum

At the far end of Oenarodo Island in Goheung, South Jeolla, the Naro Space Center Space Science Museum stands beside South Korea's first spaceport. On the same island from which the Naro and Nuri rockets lifted off, you can learn how rockets work, see real hardware from the national space programme and look up at full-size rocket models in the outdoor Rocket Plaza.

The Naro Space Center story

Development of the Naro Space Center began in December 2000, and the complex was completed on 11 June 2009 as Korea's first space centre. The first Korean launch vehicle, Naro-1, failed in 2009 and 2010 before succeeding on its third attempt on 30 January 2013. The Korean-built Nuri (KSLV-II) rocket made its maiden flight on 21 October 2021 and reached orbit on its second launch on 21 June 2022; further Nuri launches followed from here in May 2023 and November 2025. Construction of the science museum began in November 2005, and it opened with the centre in 2009. The launch site itself is closed to the public, so the museum is the part travellers can visit.

What to see

• Permanent exhibition: five themes, basic principles, rockets, satellites, space exploration and lunar exploration. It starts with concepts such as vacuum and gravity and moves on to rocket structure and launch sequence, satellite attitude control and solar cells, the International Space Station and spacesuits.
• Real Hardware Hall: actual test articles and development hardware from Korea's space programme, including the liquid-fuelled KSR-III sounding rocket and the engineering model of Nuri's first stage, showing the past and present of Korean rocketry in one room.
• 3D cinema: educational space films. Tickets are sold only to exhibition visitors, first come, first served on the day.
• Outdoor exhibits: the Rocket Plaza holds full-size models of KSR-I, KSR-II, KSR-III and Naro-1 (KSLV-I), along with a parabolic antenna and a solar garden.

Good to know

• The Naro Space Center site covers 1.6 million pyeong (about 5.3 km²), and the complex, including the science museum, cost KRW 331.4 billion.
• Launch Pad 1, from which Naro-1 flew, was built to withstand typhoon winds of 60 m per second. After modification it also launched the Nuri test vehicle in 2018.
• On Naro-1's second flight in 2010, the rocket exploded about 137 seconds after lift-off and debris fell into the sea south of Jeju. Knowing the story of failure and retry makes the exhibits more interesting.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–17:30 (entry until 17:00). Closed on Mondays, 1 January and on the day of Seollal and Chuseok; when a Monday is a public holiday, it closes the following day instead.
• Admission: adults (20–64) KRW 4,000, youth and children (8–19) KRW 2,000; free for children aged 7 and under and for seniors. The 3D cinema costs an extra KRW 1,000. Cards are accepted and parking is free.
• Guided commentary: in-depth tours of 30 minutes start at 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00 for families and groups of 5 to 30.
• Food: a notice from late September 2026 says the space science classes and the snack bar have been suspended. Eat beforehand or bring something with you.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours for the galleries and the outdoor Rocket Plaza.