S. Korea to launch the nation`s first rocket on Aug. 11

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has set a launch date to send the nation's
first rocket into orbit after a delay last month caused by technical problems,
officials here said Saturday.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said the KSLV-1 rocket will be
launched on Aug. 11. The decision was made after holding consultations with
Russian scientists who are cooperating with South Korea on the launch, it added.
"South Korea and Russia will jointly conduct a final review before moving the
rocket to the launch pad two days before the date," a ministry official said.
"There will be a dry run one day before the final countdown starts."
South Korea has never launched a rocket before. The country is working with
Russia to acquire technology and expertise that could allow it to send locally
made space vehicles into orbit in the future.
The rocket was supposed to lift-off on July 30 but the launch was delayed as
Russian authorities asked for more time to upgrade the test control and
evaluation programs needed for the critical test.
The ministry said it will aim to meet the launch date but said unexpected
technical problems or weather conditions could cause a change in plans. It set a
window of Aug. 11-18, and plans to notify both the International Civil Aviation
Organization and the International Maritime Organization
The rocket will be sent into orbit from the Naro Space Center, located 485km
south of Seoul, which was built to launch the KSLV-1 and future rockets.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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