S. Korea delays first rocket launch until July

SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first space rocket launch has been put
off until late July to allow engineers more time to check safety systems, the
government said Thursday.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said inspections at the Naro
Space Center launch pad are taking more time than previously anticipated.
The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) mission will mark the first time South
Korea has directly launched a rocket into space from its soil. In the past, South
Korea has relied on foreign rockets launched abroad to send its satellites into
space.
Without going into details, the ministry said the late arrival of key parts from
China affected the construction timing for the launch pad itself.
Seoul has spent a total of 502.5 billion won (US$337.9 million) since 2002 on the
KLSV-1, which is set to carry a small experimental satellite into space.
The rocket weighs 140 tons fully loaded with fuel and measures 33 meters in
height with a diameter of 2.9 meters. It was jointly built by the state-run Korea
Aerospace Research Institute and Russia's Khrunichev State Research and
Production Space Center.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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