Korean Rocket Set to Leap Into Space
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea's first space rocket was strapped upon the launch pad at the Naro Space Center on Monday as it was readied for its historic leap into space scheduled for Wednesday.
The successful launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV-1), nicknamed "Naro" after the country's brand new spaceport, will make Korea the 10th country ever to send a spacecraft into orbit from its own territory.
The two-stage rocket was carefully moved from its hanger to the launch pad at the Naro Space Center, located at the southwestern tip of the peninsula, about 480 kilometers apart from Seoul, a 1.8-kilometer journey that took about an hour early Monday.
After spending six hours examining the machinery, Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) engineers transferred the KSLV-1 onto the erector at the launch mount and raised it to vertical around 4 p.m., KARI officials said.
"We have moved and raised the rocket upright because we have confirmed that the rocket and the fuel injection system of the launch pad was ready to go," said KARI President Lee Ju-jin.
"Everything looks perfect at this moment."
Should weather conditions permit, and barring a last-minute technical problem, the rocket will be fired for liftoff during the scheduled two-hour window starting at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Lee said.
KARI officials and collaborating Russian engineers will conduct a "rehearsal" from 11 a.m. Tuesday, the final checkup of the rocket, ground equipment and electronic systems that will take about seven to eight hours.
Korea has notified both the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization that the KSLV-1 will be launched on Wednesday (Aug. 19), with the "launch window" extending through Aug. 26.
Lightning within a 20-kilometer radius of the launch pad or the rocket's flight trajectory could force a launch delay, over concerns that it may cause damage to the rocket's electronics system and on-board satellite.
Ground winds blowing harder than 15 meters per second, and high winds of over 100 meters per second, will also be enough to put the liftoff on hold, over concerns of the rocket's stability, KARI officials said.
The two-stage KSLV-1, a result of a 502.5-billion-won (about $405 million) investment, stands 33 meters tall, measures 2.9 meters in width, weighs 140 tons and generates a max 170 tons in thrust. The rocket will be assigned to send the Science Technology Satellite No. 2 (STSAT-2) into orbit.
The 100-kilogram satellite, jointly developed by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), will be used to measure the Earth's radiant energy and satellite orbits.
Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center developed the KSLV-1 first stage, which contains the liquid-fuel propulsion system. The upper stage of the rocket - powered by solid fuel and designed to carry the satellite - was developed by KARI.
The launch was originally scheduled for October 2006, but was postponed six times before the Science Ministry settled on Aug. 19 last week.
The Khrunichev Center twice delayed the launch in the past month, saying it needed more time to ensure that the KSLV-1 rocket engine and propulsion system was working properly.
Should the first launch fail, the Russians are required to provide another rocket within nine months, likely between April to May next year, and a possible third launch could be considered for around 2011.