S. Korea to launch solid-fuel space rocket postponed in June by year-end

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SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to push for the launch of a solid-fuel space rocket by the end of this year, after it was postponed in June due to safety concerns, the defense ministry said Monday.

The Mir space rocket was initially scheduled to lift off on June 30 off the southern coast of Jeju Island, but the launch was canceled due to a set of issues detected in the final stages.

"The defense ministry is pushing to resume the launch of the solid-fuel space rocket postponed in the final launch stages on June 30 within this year," a ministry official said.

The ministry has completed a thorough inspection of the technical aspects and other conditions, and final preparations are under way to ensure optimal launch conditions, the official said.

The ministry, however, has yet to decide on the exact launch date, noting it plans to determine the scheduling in light of weather conditions and progress in preparations.

If launched, it would mark the rocket's first test launch in a fully assembled four-stage vehicle, after a series of trials conducted in 2022 and 2023 that each evaluated partial three-stage configurations.

South Korea has been developing the solid-propellant space launch vehicle since 2021 as it seeks to boost the country's independent spy satellite capabilities to better monitor North Korean threats. The last launch took place in December 2023.

The solid-fuel space vehicles are known to be simpler in structure and require a shorter preparation period compared with liquid-fueled ones, enabling rapid response when a launch is required.

The military plans to launch microsized spy satellites using the solid-fuel space rocket in the future.

This file photo shows South Korea's third launch of a solid-fuel space rocket, from a barge floating in waters 4 kilometers south of Jeju Island, on Dec. 4, 2023. It successfully placed a small Earth observation satellite into orbit at an altitude of about 650 km. The 100-kilogram synthetic aperture radar satellite was made by Hanwha Systems. (Yonhap)

sookim@yna.co.kr (END)

(LEAD) S. Korea postpones plan to launch solid-fuel space rocket over safety concerns

S. Korea to launch solid-fuel space rocket postponed in June by year-end

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首尔，10月19日（韩联社）——韩国国防部周一表示，韩国计划在今年年底前发射固体燃料太空火箭，此前由于安全问题，发射计划在6月份被推迟。

和平号航天火箭原计划于6月30日从济州岛南部海岸发射升空，但由于在最后阶段发现了一系列问题，发射被取消。

“国防部正在努力争取在今年内恢复原定于6月30日进行的固体燃料航天火箭的发射，该火箭的发射已进入最后阶段。”一位国防部官员表示。

该官员表示，该部已完成对技术方面和其他条件的全面检查，目前正在进行最后的准备工作，以确保最佳的发射条件。

然而，该部尚未决定确切的发射日期，并表示将根据天气状况和准备工作的进展情况来确定发射时间表。

如果发射成功，这将是该火箭首次以完全组装的四级飞行器形式进行测试发射。此前，该火箭在 2022 年和 2023 年进行了一系列试验，每次试验都评估了部分三级配置。

自2021年以来，韩国一直在研发固体燃料运载火箭，旨在提升其独立侦察卫星的能力，以便更好地监控朝鲜的威胁。最近一次发射是在2023年12月。

与液体燃料航天器相比，固体燃料航天器的结构更简单，准备时间更短，因此在需要发射时能够快速响应。

军方计划未来使用固体燃料火箭发射微型间谍卫星。

这张资料照片显示，2023年12月4日，韩国在济州岛以南4公里处的海域，从一艘漂浮的驳船上成功发射了第三枚固体燃料火箭。此次发射将一颗小型地球观测卫星送入约650公里高的轨道。这颗重100公斤的合成孔径雷达卫星由韩华系统公司制造。（韩联社）

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（导语）韩国因安全顾虑推迟固体燃料火箭发射计划

韩国原定于6月发射的固体燃料火箭将推迟至年底发射。