By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
GOHEUNG, South Jeolla Province ― South Korea's first space rocket, commissioned to place a sun observation satellite into orbit, was Tuesday cleared for Wednesday's launch.
The clearance came after officials at the Naro Space Center, the launch site, and senior government officials in Seoul discussed whether to delay the launch upon the death of former President Kim Dae-jung.
Following a consultation with Cheong Wa Dae, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology concluded that the launch could not afford another postponement, especially with the typhoon season of September approaching close.
"The rocket is already on the launch pad, and it would be difficult to remove it. We also have about 160 Russian engineers here, and should the launch be delayed, it would be difficult to reschedule," Kim Jung-hyun, vice science minister, said in a news conference.
"The late Kim showed a great commitment to making Korea a strong nation in space technology. Our engineers are intent on doing the best up to the last moment to make him proud."
Kim, however, said the government will scrap all celebratory events planned for a successful launch.
Engineers at the center completed a technical rehearsal Tuesday to prepare for the launch that is scheduled to take place during a two-hour window starting on 4:40 p.m. The ministry said it plans to announce the finalized time of the liftoff around 1:30 p.m., and that for now, 5 p.m. looks likely.
Should the Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-1) survive the first nine minutes after liftoff, Korea is likely to become the 10th country overall to successfully launch a spacecraft into orbit, barring a breakdown of the Science and Technology Satellite No. 2 (STSAT-2).
Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the country's space agency, is keeping its expectations realistic, with officials telling reporters that the chances for failure "exceeds 70 percent."
The rehearsal, conducted for about eight hours starting at 11 p.m., focused on evaluating the readiness of the rocket, the launch equipment and ground facilities at the Naro Space Center, and the electronic systems. However, the process didn't involve fueling of the spacecraft and an entire launch countdown.
The data collected during the rehearsal are now being analyzed by experts from KARI and Russia's Khrunichev State Space Science and Production Center, which is providing the technology for the project. Barring any test anomalies and severe weather conditions, the country will have liftoff on Wednesday, KARI officials said.
At the evening news conference, Lee Ju-jin, the president of KARI, said no technical problems had been found.
The Khrunichev Center will launch another rocket at Naro within the next nine months, regardless of what happens Wednesday, and could participate in a third launch should the first two attempts fail.
Bad weather, such a lightning within the 20-kilometer radius of the launch pad or the rocket's flight trajectory, as well as strong ground winds and high winds, would be enough to put the launch on hold.
However, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) predicts that weather won't be a problem, anticipating cloudy skies and claim winds for the area on Wednesday.
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.
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 satellite will be ejected from the upper-stage of the rocket after 540 seconds, or nine minutes, KARI officials said, and then position itself in the orbit.
Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Lee Dong-gwan said that it would be appropriate to proceed on the "national event" as scheduled.
"If it was a festival or other events that would disturb the mourning, a postponement would have been the right choice. In this case, proceeding on the project as scheduled would be exactly what (Kim) would have wanted," Lee said.
Kim's death, however, likely eliminates any possibility that President Lee will participate in the event, a matter Cheong Wa Dae had remained mum about.