S. Korea to launch solid-fuel space rocket postponed in June by year-end
South Korea's third solid-fuel space rocket takes off from a barge floating in waters 4 kilometers south of Jeju Island, Dec. 4, 2023. Courtesy of Hanwha Systems
South Korea plans to push for the launch of a solid-fuel space rocket by the end of this year, after it was postponed in June due to safety concerns, the defense ministry said Monday.
The Mir space rocket was initially scheduled to lift off on June 30 off the southern coast of Jeju Island, but the launch was canceled due to a set of issues detected in the final stages.
"The defense ministry is pushing to resume the launch of the solid-fuel space rocket postponed in the final launch stages on June 30 within this year," a ministry official said.
The ministry has completed a thorough inspection of the technical aspects and other conditions, and final preparations are under way to ensure optimal launch conditions, the official said.
The ministry, however, has yet to decide on the exact launch date, noting it plans to determine the scheduling in light of weather conditions and progress in preparations.
If launched, it would mark the rocket's first test launch in a fully assembled four-stage vehicle, after a series of trials conducted in 2022 and 2023 that each evaluated partial three-stage configurations.
South Korea has been developing the solid-propellant space launch vehicle since 2021 as it seeks to boost the country's independent spy satellite capabilities to better monitor North Korean threats. The last launch took place in December 2023.
The solid-fuel space vehicles are known to be simpler in structure and require a shorter preparation period compared with liquid-fueled ones, enabling rapid response when a launch is required.
The military plans to launch microsized spy satellites using the solid-fuel space rocket in the future.