S. Korea's space rocket being assembled for Aug. 11 launch: official

SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first satellite-carrying rocket is being
assembled for its launch from the Naro Space Center on Aug. 11, a government
official said Sunday.
The official from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said work has
been underway for two days to assemble the main booster rocket, made in Russia,
and the second stage of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1).
The second stage holds a solid fuel rocket and small satellite, both made in Korea.
"Unless bad weather conditions hold up the launch, the KSLV-1 should blast off on
the designated date," the official stressed. Rain is not a serious factor in the
launching of a rocket although high winds or lightning could cause postponements.
"South Korean engineers will work closely with their Russian counterparts in the
coming days to fully assemble the rocket and move it to the launch pad two days
before the launch," he said. If there are no unforeseen developments, a dry run
will be carried out the day before the launch to check all systems.
The official, however, said that because inclement weather may hold up the
launch, Seoul has set aside a launch window from Aug. 11-18. South Korea will
inform the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International
Maritime Organization, so ships and planes in the path of the rocket can be
warned in advance.
Despite such upbeat predictions, some experts caution that more delays could
arise, especially related to complications on the Russian side.
The latest delay was caused when Russia said it could not meet the July 23 date
for the "hot" test-firing of the KSLV-1 rocket. The crucial test of the main
booster took place on Thursday, the original launch date.
Originally, when the project was started in August 2002, work on the rocket was
set to be completed by late 2005 with the launch scheduled for October 2007. That
was pushed back to December 2008 and again from the second quarter of this year
to July. The first-stage main booster rocket did not arrive in the country until
June.
The rocket, developed at a cost of 502.5 billion won (US$408.7 million), stands
33 meters tall, has a diameter of just under 3 meters and weighs 140 tons. The
first stage main booster rocket has a thrust of 170 tons, while the smaller,
second-stage can generate 8 tons of thrust. The rocket is designed to put a 100kg
satellite into orbit.
The government built the Naro Space Center, located 485km south of Seoul, to
launch the KSLV-1 and future rockets.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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