Editor's Note

South Korea on January 30 successfully launched a space rocket in its third attempt to put a satellite into space.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSVL-1), also known as Naro, blasted off at 4 pm local time from the Naro Space Center, located 480 kilometers south of Seoul.

The launch makes South Korea the 13th nation to put a rocket into space from its own territory, said the Yonhap News Agency.

Seoul has spent 502.5 billion won ($ 407 million) since 2002 to build the rocket and learn related technologies with Russian assistance and technical supervision.

Latest News

S.Korea launches Naro satellite rocket Source: CNTV.cn	Global Times-Agencies, Jan. 30, 2013: South Korea planning space launch for 3rd time South Korea is preparing to launch its Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), also known as Naro, on January 30, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. The launch will be South Korea's third attempt to send Naro into space after two failed attempts in August 2009 and June 2010.
	CNTV.cn, Jan. 30, 2013: S.Korea to monitor DPRK nuclear test South Korea’s military has set up a special emergency panel to monitor a possible nuclear test in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on January 29 that it believes the DPRK had almost completed preparations for a test, and could launch it at any time.
CNTV.cn, Jan. 29, 2013: Final rehearsal for S.Korea rocket launch underway South Korea is counting down to its third attempt to launch a rocket into space. The Naro has been moved to the launch pad and final preparations are underway. The rocket is expected to be put into space on January 30.

The Launch

South Korea launched its Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSVL-1), also known as Naro, at 4 pm local time from the Naro Space Center, located 480 kilometers south of Seoul, on January 30, 2013. Photo: Xinhua/Yonhap	South Korea launched its Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSVL-1), also known as Naro, at 4 pm local time from the Naro Space Center, located 480 kilometers south of Seoul, on January 30, 2013. Photo: CNTV.cn

Space rocket	Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), also known as Naro, is a two-stage rocket. The first stage of Naro has a 170-ton thrust and was built by Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, as South Korea currently lacks the related technology.
Time	4 pm local time, January 30, 2013
Place	Naro Space Center, Goheung county, South Jeolla province, 480 kilometers south of Seoul
Result	successful
Final Rehearsal	The dry rehearsal yielded no apparent problems that might force yet another delay of the rocket launch. Still, it will take several more hours to analyze the outcome of the rehearsal and decide whether the launch will take place as scheduled, officials from Korea Aerospace Research Institute said.

Comments

Yonhap News Agency:

Regardless of the success or failure of Wednesday's launch, it will mark the last launch under the Naro space program that began in 2002 jointly with Russia due to South Korea's lack of related technologies.

However, Seoul is already moving to develop an indigenous 75-ton thrust engine, which will be used in a group of four to create a 300-ton thrust engine that is scheduled to be launched in 2021.

China News Service:

Zhang Liangui, a professor on international strategies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC:

The Lee Myung-bak administration expects the successful launch of Naro-1 can help promote South Korean nationals’ confidence and further consolidate the country’s national strength.

As well for aiming to join the “space club,” the development of aerospace technology for commercial satellite could also be a new source of economic growth for the nation but also help advance its ballistic missile research, Zhang stated.

“South Korea could also keep a close eye to the North Korean movesand have more say in possible North-South dialogues in the future, if Seoul can independently launch a rocket carrying a satellite,” Zhang added.

CNN:

Analysts have said the South Korean launch is different from that of the North because it is more transparent, clearly focused on civilian applications and doesn't contravene UN sanctions.

More media reports:

	S.Korea launches rocket weeks after N.Korea Wednesday's attempt came amid increased tension on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's threat to explode its third nuclear device. Pyongyang is angry over tough new international sanctions over the Dec. 12 long-range rocket launch that delivered its satellite.
	South Korea to make new attempt to put satellite in orbit The pressure on the South Korean rocket scientists has increased since the country's hostile neighbor, North Korea, carried out its own successful launch last month in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
	S.Korea prepares high-stake rocket launch South Korea is poised for its third bid to send a satellite into orbit - a watershed moment for the future of the country's space program and a high-stakes challenge to national pride.
	Phl on red alert for S.Korea's rocket launch Officials are on red alert starting on January 29 for the possible launch of South Korea's rocket that will put a satellite into orbit.
	South Korea launches satellite-carrying rocket The rocket took off at 4 pm local time, roaring into a clear sky from a launch pad near the city of Goheung on the country's south coast. Crowds gathered to watch on rocky hills and small islets near the site—and the launch was broadcast live on national TV networks.

Failed Attempts

Failed Attempts	Time	Place	Failure causes
The delay of the third launch in 2010	November 29, 2012	Naro Space Center, 480 kilometers south of Seoul	South Korea has suspended the launch of its space rocket carrying a satellite after an abnormality was detected in the second stage of the rocket, a government official said.
	October 26, 2012	Naro Space Center, 480 kilometers south of Seoul	South Korea's launch attempt on October 26, 2012, was aborted when a gas leak in the link between the two-stage rocket and the launch pad was detected just hours before the planned lift-off.
The second attempt	June 10, 2010	Naro Space Cente, 480 kilometers south of Seoul	The South Korean side said that the explosion was caused by a malfunction in the oxidation and compression systems in the Russian-made first-stage rocket. However, the Russian side said that the flight termination system in the South Korean-made second solid-fuel rocket caused self destruction.
The first attempt	August 25, 2009	Naro Space Cente, 480 kilometers south of Seoul	The first attempt, carried out on August 25, 2009, went into failure due toa malfunction in the fairing assembly that made it impossible to place the 100 kilogram satellite into orbit.

Source: Xinhua

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