S. Korea's KSLV-1 more advanced than N. Korean rockets: experts

By Lee Joon-seung

NARO SPACE CENTER, South Korea, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first space rocket is technologically superior to those launched by North Korea, local experts said Wednesday.

Aerospace experts said that despite both South and North Korea using Russian
designs for their respective rockets, those used on the North's so-called Unha-2
rocket launched in April are based on technology developed in the 1970s, while
the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) is "brand new."
"North Korean rocket technology is outdated, while the KSLV-1 is world-class in
terms of thrust and various features," said Min Kyung-ju, head of the Naro Space
Center that will launch the country's first rocket later in the day.
He said that the KSLV-1 can generate 170 tons of trust using a single engine
while Unha-2, which may be a modified Taepodong-2 missile probably uses four
30-ton thrust engines to lift off. The KSLV-1, standing 33 meters tall and
weighing 140 tons is larger than the Tapodong-2, which is estimated to weigh 75
tons and stand 32 meters in height.
Larger number of engines generally translates into greater costs, more weight and
smaller payloads.
The engineer added that the KSLV-1 compares well with existing rockets that have
sent up satellites in the past like Japan's H2A and Ariane rockets made by
France. The Japanese rocket can generate 100 tons of thrust, while the French
model has been rated at 120 tons thrust.
This view was echoed by Paik Hong-yul a senior research fellow at state-run Korea
Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).
He said that North Korea's rocket technology cannot be discounted because there
has been concerted effort on the part of Pyongyang to develop long range missiles
since the 1960s, but there is need to understand differences.
"North Korean satellites that Pyongyang said were on its rockets failed to gain
orbit, but the launch vehicles themselves have secured adequate range that may
permit these to be used as missiles to target the continental United States," he
said.
He said that North Korea can be said to have the highest rocket technology level
in the developing world, yet South Korea too has made strides.
"Because there are no available parts and components, South Korea had to make
every part besides the first stage rocket of the KSLV-1 from scratch," the expert
said. Paik stressed that the country can now make every part of a space rocket
with the exception of a powerful rocket engine.
He pointed out that even in this field, Seoul effectively completed work on a
30-ton thrust rocket and was starting work on a 75-ton thrust model that could be
used as the basis for the KSLV-2 indigenous rocket slated for launch in 2018.
At present, the largest locally-built engine could generate just 17-tons of thrust.
In addition to rockets, South Korean experts said that the South clearly led the
North in terms of satellite technology.
The Science and Technology Satellite-2 (STSAT) that will be sent up on the KSLV-1
was made in the country while the Arirang-2 multipurpose satellite launched in
July 2006 possesses a high resolution camera jointly developed by South Korea and
Isreal.
More advanced satellites made in the country are slated to be launched this year
and in 2010.
Reflecting the difference in skill, Chae Yeon-seok, vice president of the Young
Astronauts Korea, said the North's Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite that was lost after
it failed to reach orbit looked almost identical to the Dong Fang Hong-1 unit
launched by China in 1970.
He said that while it is impossible to know for sure what machinery the North
Korean satellite had, the expert speculated it was probably rudimentary.
In contrast, the STSAT has a set mission to use microwave radiometers to check
energy levels in the atmosphere, the Earth's national radiation and utilize a
ranging laser to measure the precise distance between the satellite and ground
stations. The latter could help the country to make more advanced satellites down
the line.