(News Focus) (rocket launch) Rocket launch to mark turning point in Korea's space exploration

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) -- The successful launch of a satellite-carrying rocket
this week would signify a coming of age for South Korea's budding space
exploration history, which the government says will include building a lunar
orbital probe within the next 15 years.
The building of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), scheduled to lift off
Wednesday afternoon, has given the country first-hand experience in designing,
building and testing powerful space rockets, the Ministry of Education, Science
and Technology said.
It said if the launch is successful, Seoul could join the ranks of the exclusive
"space club" -- countries that operate launch facilities and build satellites
sent into orbit using locally assembled rockets.
The country launched the first KSLV-1, also called the Naro-1, on August 25, but
a problem in the fairing assembly made it impossible to place the 100 kilogram
scientific satellite into orbit, although all other systems worked without a
hitch.
The Naro-1 stands 33 meters tall with a diameter of 2.9m, and can generate 170
tons of thrust that can send a 100kg satellite into orbit.
Seoul has spent 502.5 billion won (US$418.1 million) since 2002 to build the
rocket and learn related technologies with Russian assistance and technical
supervision.
The first-stage main rocket was built in Russia with no sharing of technology,
but 150 South Korean engineers worked side-by-side with their Russian
counterparts for almost two years on the design and systems development.
"By working with Russian counterparts, local engineers now know how a rocket is
designed and built, which is vital for building the country's own machines in the
future," Kim Young-shik, a senior science ministry official, said.
He added that because the first launch was only "half-successful," engineers have
learned first-hand the need to thoroughly check every system again and again.
"Prior to the first launch, technicians only checked what they had made and
assembled, but now they have developed a system of cross-checking related
systems," the deputy minister said.
Others at the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in charge of
the space rocket program claim that acquiring overall know-how on how a rocket is
developed is of greater importance than simply acquiring technology to build a
rocket engine technology.
"This is crucial since the country is preparing to build an entirely South
Korean-made space rocket before 2020 and a probe that can orbit the moon by
2025," a KARI engineer said.
He said no country currently shares space exploration-related technologies and
know-how, making it doubly hard to see how they design new rockets.
Related to South Korea's potential in this sector, experts said local
capabilities are roughly at 70-75 percent of the level of leaders in the overall
rocket sector, while the country's capabilities in the critical engine area stand
at around 60 percent of the level achieved by countries like the United States
and Russia.
"The rocket should be thought of as laying the foundation for all future
development," said Chae Yeon-seok, a senior research fellow at KARI.
The aerospace expert said that while South Korea started development 40 years
later than others, it has shown its engineering prowess by launching the 17-ton
thrust Korea Sounding Rocket-3 rocket in 2002 without any foreign assistance.
"Such a feat is not easy, and if local engineers have learned from their Russian
partners and there is adequate funding, the country could make great strides,"
Chae said.
He added that what the country needs the most is to construct an up-to-date
engine test facility to see if locally made rocket engines meet operational
requirements.
This view was shared by Yoon Woong-sup, a professor of mechanical engineer at
Seoul's Yonsei University.
He said close cooperation has helped local technicians gain valuable insight even
if they have not been able to get a very close look at the rocket.
The professor said that such information and know-how can be useful as the
country plans to build larger rockets of its own down the road.
KARI, meanwhile, said besides learning the entire process of learning how to
build a main booster rocket, the Naro-1 project has helped local engineers build
the second stage, solid fuel rocket and the nose fairing to house the satellite.
The second-stage rocket worked flawlessly in the first launch, while Seoul has
redesigned the fairing assembly to avoid another malfunction.
The space agency added that South Korea has effectively completed work on a
30-ton thrust engine and started initial design work on a larger 70-ton thrust
rocket unit that can send up a 1.5 ton satellite.
KARI said another benefit reaped from the Naro-1 was the construction of the Naro
Space Center at Oenarodo Island on South Korea's southern coast. The center, 485
kilometers south of Seoul, has state-of-the-art facilities that can be used to
launch rockets and satellites in the future.
South Korea has sent 10 satellites into space, with nine more to be sent into
orbit by 2015.
"On average, a satellite may be sent up every year, and if such machines can be
sent by indigenous rockets, it could save the country money and expense," a KARI
engineer said.
Other benefits that can be derived from the successful launch of the KSLV-1 are
growth in the country's science and technology levels, national defense and
prestige.
A country with rocket-launch capabilities can build and send its own intelligence
satellite without concerns that sensitive technology may fall into the wrong
hands.
Besides the aerospace field, a successful launch and more support for the sector
can lead to positive spin-offs in technology that can be used by local
businesses.
Technologies for many common products like digital cameras, mobile phones, car
navigation systems and water filters were originally developed for space
exploration.
In the long run, the Naro-1 will help lay a solid foundation as South Korea
embarks on its space exploration project that calls for the building of a
powerful indigenous rocket by 2020, as well as a probe that can orbit the moon
before 2025, experts say.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)

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