S. Korea's first space rocket to be named 'Naro'

SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- The government on Sunday said it has selected "Naro" as
the name for South Korea's first space rocket that is expected to be launched in
late July.
The name is taken from the Naro Space Center, a launch site built in Goheung,
South Jeolla Province, and was selected through an online bidding process that
began in late February, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said.
"Because the space center embodies South Korea's aspirations to explore the
stars, the 'Naro' name has been deemed as being appropriate for the rocket," a
ministry spokesman said.
The official said the new name will probably be used in tandem with the Korea
Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) designation to prevent confusion, particularly
since the acronym is well known abroad.
Kim Soon-ja, a 53-year-old resident of Gwangju who submitted the winning name to
the Internet site (www.kslv.or.kr), will receive 3 million won (US$2,400) as a
reward, with two runners-up to receive 1 million won each.
Another three whose submissions were also considered are to be rewarded 300,000 won.
The ministry in charge of the country's space program said 22,916 people took
part in the naming competition that began on Feb. 23 and ended in March. There
was a total of 34,143 names submitted overall.
The KSLV-1, built with the help of Russian technology, weighs 140 tons and stands
33-meters tall with a diameter of 3 meters.
It is designed to generate a thrust of 170 tons that will push the rocket to an
altitude of 170 kilometers, with the satellite to be deployed at an elliptical
orbit between 300-1,500 kilometers above the surface of Earth.
A definitive launch date has not been set, but the rocket will take off early in
the morning or late in the afternoon to allow the satellite to effectively deploy
and generate power with its solar panels.
The launch will mark the first of an indigenously built satellite from South
Korean soil. Previous satellites built by South Korea were launched outside the
country.
Seoul has spent a total of 502.5 billion won since 2002 on the KSLV mission, a
portion of which went to the construction of the Naro center in the southwestern
part of the country.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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