Time may be needed to determine cause of malfunction’

The government will move to launch a locally assembled space rocket after the launch pad's faulty fire extinguisher system is fixed and the cause of the mishap is pinpointed.

Engineers from South Korea and Russia concluded that the abnormal release of fire extinguisher fluids Wednesday did not affect the Naro-1 rocket in any way, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

"Engineers are currently trying to figure out what caused the malfunction just over three hours before the rocket was scheduled to blast off at 5:00 p.m.," Yonhap News quoted ministry spokesman Pyun Kyung-bum Thursday at the space center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province.

He said that it may take time to determine the exact cause of the problem, hinting that the launch may not take place within the week.

The three fire extinguishers on the launch pad are designed to put out fires and are not normally used. They released 100 tons of water and three cubic meters of firefighting chemical agents.

The official said that Seoul plans to set a new date for the blastoff once the fire extinguisher system is restored and after checking weather conditions around the Naro Space Center 485 kilometers south of Seoul.

"The final decision on a launch will be made by the joint Naro-1 management committee headed by Vice Science Minister Kim Jung-hyun," the official said.

He said if the exact cause cannot be determined quickly and time is needed to fix the emergency firefighting system, Seoul may delay the launch for up to 10 days.

South Korea has reserved a so-called launch window from June 9 through June 19, while notifying planes and ships to stay clear of the launch trajectory.

The official added that the Korea Meteorological Administration has forecast the buildup of clouds on Thursday that will lead to rainfalls on Friday and Saturday.

The Naro-1 can be launched in rain but experts said that such a move runs the risk of being hit by lightening.

South Korean and Russian experts met at 8:00 a.m. to check what caused the fire extinguishers to go off and to check weather forecasts.

This will be followed by a meeting of the rocket management committee at around 9:00 a.m. to make a final decision on what actions should be taken.

The latest development marks the fourth time since mid-2009 that the launch date of the locally assembled space rocket has been pushed back.

The last delay took place on Aug. 19, 2009, when a glitch in the rocket's electronics systems caused the countdown to be halted less than eight minutes before blastoff.

Seoul and Moscow originally agreed to send the rocket into space in late July of last year, but the date was pushed back to Aug. 11 and then to Aug. 19, before the first Naro-1 unit lifted off on Aug. 25. The rocket reached orbit but a malfunction in the fairing assembly made it impossible to place the scientific satellite into orbit.