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ROK gives rocket launch a second shot

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-25 11:47

GOHEUNG, Republic of Korea: The Republic of Korea (ROK) will try again on Tuesday to launch its first space rocket, a move that will be watched warily by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), after halting last week's countdown minutes before lift-off.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) or Naro-1, the Republic of Korea's first space rocket, is set up on its launch pad at the Naro Space Centre in Goheung, 485 km (301 miles) south of Seoul, August 24, 2009. South Korea will launch the country's first space rocket carrying a small experimental satellite into orbit on August 25, 2009, local media reported. [Agencies]

The ROK's space agency said the August 19 launch was aborted because of a glitch with pressure gauge software.

Fuel was removed from the rocket after the halt, requiring several days to reschedule.

The development of the rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or Naro-1, depended heavily on Russia's Khrunichev space production centre, which built the first stage booster, conducted tests and provided technical assistance.

The Naro-1 is 33 metres (108 ft) long and the two-stage rocket was built at a cost of 502.5 billion won ($400 million).

The launch is expected to rile DPRK, which was hit by UN sanctions after its fired off a long-range rocket in April in what was widely seen as a disguised missile test.      

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The DPRK, which chastised the world body for the punishment, said earlier this month it was paying close attention to the ROK's rocket programme.

Seoul wants to build a rocket on its own by 2018 and send a probe to monitor the moon by 2025. It also wants to develop a commercial service to launch satellites.

But its nascent space programme lags far behind Japan, China, India, and to some extent the DPRK. Seoul is betting that a successful launch will give it the technical prowess to catch up quickly with its rivals.

The ROK's space agency has tried to play down expectations, saying that only about 30 percent of countries' first attempts to put a satellite into orbit succeed.