Asia-Pacific

S. Korea puts off space rocket launch

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-06-09 13:55

Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), or Naro-1, is set up on its launch pad at Naro Space Centre in Goheung, about 485 km (301 miles) south of Seoul on June 8, 2010. [Agencies]

UPDATE: S. Korea puts off space rocket launch

South Korea's education ministry said Wednesday the planned rocket launch will be postponed due to fire safety problems.

South Korea had previously planned to launch a locally assembled space rocket called Naro-1, or the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), at 5 p.m. local time, its second such attempt after a technical glitch botched up the first launch in 2009. The first launch in 2009 was foiled by a faulty fairing assembly, which prevented the rocket from putting the satellite into the orbit.

South Korean and Russian experts are currently looking into the problems in fire protection facilities, according to the education ministry.

Earlier reporting: South Korea readies satellite launch

SEOUL - South Korea completed preparations on Wednesday for its second attempt to send a satellite into space after failing in the ambitious endeavor last year.

The two-stage Naro rocket loaded with an observation satellite to study global warming and climate change was scheduled to blast off later Wednesday. South Korea aims to become a regional space power along with China, Japan and India.

Related readings:  S. Korean satellite misses orbit  South Korea launches first rocket into space  South Korea's first rocket lifts off  ROK halts first rocket launch at last minute

The planned liftoff at the coastal Naro space center in Goheung, about 290 miles (465 kilometers) south of Seoul, would be country's second launch of a rocket from its own territory in a less than year. The first stage of the two-stage rocket was designed and built by Russia and the second by South Korea.

In the first attempt last August, the satellite failed to go into orbit because one of its two covers apparently failed to come off after liftoff. Since 1992, South Korea has launched 11 satellites from overseas sites, all on foreign-made rockets.

Officials said everything was ready to go.

"All preparations have been completed," said Lee Joo-heon, an official at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, which oversees the launch. Vice Science Minister Kim Jung-hyun said liftoff would take place at 5 pm local time (0800 GMT).

"We will do our best to the last minute to live up to the people's wish for success," he told reporters.

China, Japan and India are Asia's current space powers. Japan has launched numerous satellites while China sent astronaut Yang Liwei into space in 2003 and carried out its first spacewalk in 2008.

India launched a satellite orbiting the moon in 2008, but had to abandon it nearly a year later after communication links snapped and scientists lost control of it.