Rocket Launch May Be Delayed to Next Month

GOHEUNG, South Jeolla Province ― South Korean attempts for its very first space launch may be delayed to September, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Thursday.

In a news conference at the Naro Space Center, Vice Science Minister Kim Jung-hyun said a software malfunction related to a high-pressure tank regulating valves inside the rocket engine caused the countdown to be aborted.

Although engineers at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the country's space agency, said that it was a relatively minor problem, they also said it could take as much as three days to analyze and fix the glitch.

Korean and Russian scientists and engineers are currently analyzing the software problem.

Should the adjustment process take any longer, the KSLV-1 launch could be moved to September, considering that the current "launch window" will be good only until Aug. 26.

"It would be great if we can find a way to pull off the launch before Aug. 26. But the priority is investigating the software problems, adjusting them, checking the condition of the rocket and ground launch equipment, and also the weather conditions," Kim said.

The rocket was taken down from the launch pad, where it had been standing since Monday.

and moved back to the assembly complex, over concerns that weather conditions might adversely affect it.

Should the KSLV-1 be cleared for a second launch attempt, the engineers at the will move the rocket back to the launch pad and conduct another technical rehearsal a day ahead of the liftoff to check the machinery and electronic systems, a process that will take two days at least.

"To fix the software, we have decided that it would be better to take the rocket back to the assembly complex, where we can provide a better environment for heat and air control," said KARI President Lee Ju-jin.

"There will be no need to separate the upper stage of the two-stage rocket from the lower assembly."

The 33-meter, 140-ton KSLV-1 was a result of $403-million investment and generates a thrust of 170 tons. The Russians engineered and designed the KSLV-1 first stage, which contains the rocket engine and liquid-fuel propulsion system. The second stage of the rocket, which will carry the Science Technology Satellite No. 2 (STSAT-2), is a work of domestic technology.