S. Korea's first rocket set up on launch pad

(ATTN: CORRECTS date in para 5)
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- S. Korea's first space rocket has been safely put onto
its launch pad ahead of its historic launch scheduled for this week, the
state-run aerospace institute said Monday.

Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), responsible for the launch, said
despite a light drizzle reported at the Naro Space Center 485km south of Seoul,
engineers and launch coordinators moved the rocket from the assembly building to
the pad without any complications.
It said the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) has been placed vertically on
the launch pad at 16:15 (Seoul Time), with engineers to complete connecting the
various fuel lines and system control cables to the rocket by 21:30.
Once all the cables are placed, a final "rehearsal" for the launch is planned for
Tuesday to determine if the blastoff can take place on time. Wednesday's blastoff
is expected to take place sometime between 16:40 and 18:20.
"The exact time of the rocket launch should be set at 14:00 on Wednesday, after
experts have examined all conditions, including the weather at the Naro center,"
a ministry official said. He added that only after all systems are checked will
fuel and oxidation agents be injected into the rocket.
South Korea already notified both the International Civil Aviation Organization
and the International Maritime Organization that the KSLV-1 will be launched Aug.
19, although it reserved a window of time until Aug. 26 in case of unforeseen
delays.
The blastoff date was originally scheduled for July 30, but was pushed back to
Aug. 11 after Russia said it could not conduct the critical fire test on time. It
was again postponed earlier in the month following the discovery of an abnormal
spike in revolution numbers in a support booster pump in the engine, which was
found to be caused by a diagnostic glitch.
South Korea, which has no experience in launching a space rocket capable of
carrying a satellite into orbit, has been working with Russia to build the
KSLV-1. Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is
responsible for building and testing the main first stage rocket.
The rocket, developed at a cost of 502.5 billion won (US$405.5 million), stands
33m tall, has a diameter of 2.9m, weighs 140t and can generate 170t of thrust.
The first stage liquid-fueled rocket was made in Russia, while the satellite and
the smaller, second stage solid-fueled rocket were made domestically.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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