S. Korea's first space rocket safe for launch: official

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea can move forward with its first space
rocket within the month after a "technical issue" discovered in the engine has
been clarified, a government official said Friday.

Moon Hai-joo, the official in charge of coordinating the launch, said Russian
engineers checked the data anomaly in the engine test carried out late last month
and confirmed the spike in the support booster pump was the result of a
diagnostic glitch and not a structural problem.
If there is a structural problem in this part, it can cause a so-called
cavitation effect in the main turbo pump impellers that could cause engine
failure in very serious cases.
South Korea, with no experience in the launching of a space rocket, has been
working with Russia to build the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1). Russia's
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is responsible for building
and testing the main first stage rocket.
"Russian engineers suggested that the launch could take place from Aug. 14-16,
but we have asked that they double check and have a responsible official
'confirm' the latest analysis," the director general said.
He added that once a senior Russian official confirms that the rocket is safe and
that the technical issue discovered does not pose a risk to the launch, Seoul
will hold an independent review panel to decide on the date of the launch.
Moon declined to say when a new launch date would be set, although it could
technically be within the month since assembly of the KSLV-1 has been completed.
The launch was originally scheduled for July 30 but was pushed back to next
Tuesday and again postponed following the discovery of an abnormal spike in the
number of revolutions in the booster pump during the engine assembly. Seoul had
informed the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International
Maritime Organization that the KSLV-1 will be launched between Aug. 11 through
Aug.18.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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