South Korea has set a date of June 9 for the second attempt to launch a new rocket, following the failure of the first vehicle in August 2009.
The KSLV-1 vehicle consists of a Russian-built first stage and a domestically-built second stage. The first…
South Korea has set a date of June 9 for the second attempt to launch a new rocket, following the failure of the first vehicle in August 2009.
The KSLV-1 vehicle consists of a Russian-built first stage and a domestically-built second stage. The first flight actually reached orbit successfully. It failed only after the bearings holding a satellite to the rocket did not disengage on time, causing the rocket to veer off course.
The launch is a source of interest to the wider space industry because the Khrunichev Space Centre-developed booster rocket used in the KSLV-1 is the same design that will be deployed on Russia’s new heavy lift launcher, Angara.
The new KSLV-1 flight will carry a Korean-built scientific satellite. South Korea has spent more than US$450m on the project since its inception in 2002.
