SEOUL: South Korea has postponed a key satellite launch until the last week of November because of delays in the arrival of rocket parts from Russia, a senior official said yesterday.
“We plan to inform international agencies of a new launch period of between Nov. 23 and 30,” the science ministry’s Research and Development Policy Director Yang Sung-Kwang told journalists.
After two failures in 2009 and 2010, the planned rocket launch is considered crucial for South Korea’s efforts to join an elite club of nations — including Asian powers China, Japan and India — capable of putting a satellite in orbit.
The launch was originally scheduled for Oct. 26 but it was canceled at the last minute after engineers detected a broken rubber seal in a connector between the launch pad and the rocket’s first stage.
The 140-ton Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) has a first stage manufactured by Russia and a solid-fuel second stage built in South Korea.
The damaged seal was sent back to its Russian manufacturer for inspection and a new launch window was set between Nov. 9-24, but delays in Russia shipping a replacement resulted in a second postponement.
Launch dates are provided in advance to international agencies to minimize risks to shipping and aircraft in the area.
In 2009 a South Korean rocket achieved orbit but faulty release mechanisms on the second stage prevented proper deployment of the satellite.
S. Korea postpones rocket launch
