The latest aerospace technology is important for the stable flight of a launch vehicle, but weather conditions on the day of launch are also one of the essential factors for successful launch campaign. If a launch vehicle is directly struck while preparing to take off from the launch pad on the day of launch or the electronic device are damaged by induced current during flight of the launch vehicle, this means launch failure and can lead to enormous national loss. Therefore, for a successful launch campaign, it is necessary to analyze the lightning detection characteristics of the Naro Space Center. In this study, the seasonal factors of the lightning that occurred over the Naro Space Center from 2003 to 2017, the influence of the polarity, and the correlation with the lightning intensity was confirmed. As a result, there was a high probability of intensive occurrence of multiple lightning strikes in summer, and a high proportion of positive (+) lightning strikes in winter. Lastly, in the distribution of the number of lightning strikes, an average of 2.0 to 2.5 negative (-) lightning strikes occurs in the coastal regions of the South and West Seas when one flash happens.

Successful launch requires state-of-the-art launch vehicle technology and constant test operations, However, the meteorological threat to the launch vehicle flight trajectory is also an important factor for launch success. Atmospheric stability above the Naro Space Center at the this time is very important, especially because the initial flight operation can determine the success of the launch. Moreover, during the flight of launch vehicle with rapid pressure and thrust into the atmosphere, convection activity in the atmosphere may create environmental conditions that cause severe weather threats such as thunderstorms. Hence, studies of atmospheric instability characteristics over the Naro Space Center are a necessary part of successful launch missions. Therefore, the main aims of this study were to (1) verify the atmospheric stability index and convection activity characteristics over the Naro Space Center using radiosonde data observed from 2007 to 2018 by the Naro Space Center, (2) analyze changes in the atmospheric stability index according to monthly and seasonal changes, and (3) assess how the calculated atmospheric stability index is related to actual thunderstorm occurrence using statistical analysis. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the atmospheric characteristics above the Naro Space Center through the distribution chart of the atmospheric stability index during summer, when convection activity is highest. Finally, we assessed the relationship between lightning occurrence and unstable atmospheric conditions, through predictability analysis performed using the lightning observation data of the Korea Meteorological Administration.