Glitch forces South Korea to halt launch of domestically made space rocket
Aerospace engineers begin inspection of Nuri space rocket, no new launch date announced
ANKARA
South Korea has started an inspection of its domestically made Nuri space rocket after a scheduled launch was canceled due to a technical issue, local media reported on Thursday.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) postponed the launch indefinitely at the last minute on Wednesday after detecting a glitch in the rocket’s oxidizer tank sensor, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The rocket was due for liftoff on Thursday from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, a southern coastal town some 470 kilometers (293 miles) south of the capital Seoul.
Officials said they are still trying to figure out the cause of the problem, and a new launch date will be announced once the fault is identified and resolved.
South Korea has spent nearly 2 trillion won (US$1.8 billion) on building Nuri since 2010, with all aspects including design, production, testing and launch operations done within the country.
In its first flight last October, the 200-ton Nuri reached its target altitude of 700 kilometers (435 miles) but “failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit as its third-stage engine burned out earlier than expected,” according to the report.
South Korea is aiming for four more Nuri rocket launches by 2027, the report said.
* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid