South Korea successfully launches homegrown rocket after delay due to technical glitch

A day afterSouth Korea cancelled the planned launch of itsdomestically produced space rocket, it announced thesuccessful delivery ofa commercial-grade satellite into orbit on Thursday, (May 25).This comes as the country has been moving to mark a significant step in its space programme after its neighbouring North Korealast month said it would launch its first military spy satellite into orbit.

Successfullaunch

South Korea’s homegrown Nuri rocket took off fromthe Naro Space Centre in Goheung, a launch facility in the southern part of the country, at 6:24 pm (local time)in its third flight after the launch.

Speaking about the launch,Science Minister Lee Jong-ho, said that among theeight satellitesaboard the rocket was themain commercial-grade satellite which made contact with a base station in Antarctica after successfully separating from the space vehicle.

"This will greatly change the way the world sees South Korea's space science technology and its advanced industry," said South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. He also went on to tout the launch which places Seoul among the top seven countries in the world thathave put their homegrownsatellites into orbit with their domestically built space launch vehicles.

Why was the launch delayed?

The announcement was made just two hours before the planned launch was supposed to take place on Wednesday, citing technical glitches, most likely due tocommunication errors between systems which control a helium relief valve, said the officials, adding that there seems to be no issue with the vehicle itself.

Country’s Deputy Science Minister, Oh Tae-seok, had said during a press conferencethat the launch could be back on track as soon as Thursday if the glitch is fixed.

About the launch vehicle,satellites

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The vehicle carrying eight satellites was stopped after an anomaly was noticed between the launch control computer and the launch pad control computer during the launch preparation process. The launch would mark the third test for the country’s commercial-grade satellite.

Thethird planned launch of Nuri followsa failed first attempt and a successful second mission last year. “It’s currently believed there is no problem with the projectile itself, so it will remain erected,” said Oh, adding that scientists and software engineers are working to resolve the issue.

The three-stage rocket, which is more than 150 feet long and weighs at least 200 tonnes, was supposed to take off at 6:24 pm (local time) after it was transferred and erected at the launch pad on Tuesday.

Ko Jeong-hwan, director of the Nuri rocket project at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), told the press that the launch aims to put the domestically developed 180-kilogram NEXTSat 2 satellite into “target orbit,” which is at an altitude of 550 kilometres.

The satellite has the ability to capture high-resolution images regardless of weather conditions, and while South Korea currently has no military reconnaissance satellites of its own and largely depends on the United States for monitoring facilities in North Korea, Seoul aspires to launch its surveillance satellites soon.

Last month, North Korea said that it would launch its first military spy satellite into orbit which has supposedly increased pressure on South Korea, as the tensions in the region remain high.Pyongyang tested over 100 missiles since the beginning of last year some of which were also said to be nuclear-capable.

(With inputs from agencies)

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