S. Korea to test launch indigenous space rocket engine in 2018

SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to test launch an indigenous rocket booster in 2018 that will be used to power its next generation satellite-carrying space vehicle, the government said Tuesday. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said the launch is part of a three-stage development effort to build a more powerful rocket without outside assistance so the country can place a 1.5 ton satellite into the Earth's orbit after 2021. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2) will be a more powerful follow-up to the current Naro-1 rocket, which was developed with the help of Russia. The future rocket will be 50 meters long, have a maximum diameter of 3.3 meters, weigh 200 tons and be powered by four engines with 75 tons of thrust each in the first stage. A single 75-ton-thrust engine will power the second stage rocket, while an engine with five to 10 tons of thrust is to be used in the final third stage that will hold the cargo. It will be an all-liquid-fuel engine arrangement to make it possible for the rocket to better place a satellite into precise orbit about 600-800 kilometers from the Earth's surface, compared to "mix" liquid and solid fuel booster systems used by the Naro-1 rocket. Under the plan, the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and private companies will build a 5-10 ton thrust third stage rocket by 2014, followed by the 75-ton-thrust rocket from 2015 through 2018. Once this engine is built, engineers will launch one unit to see if it meets the requirements. Once the single rocket passes the test, the entire KSLV-2 with a total of six rockets will be built for launch, which will make South Korea one of the handful of countries to have an indigenous space vehicle capable of carrying a commercial satellite into space. The science ministry, in addition, said that while KARI will be in overall charge of the rocket project, work will be carried out by an autonomous development group made up of both government-run laboratories and various private businesses. These businesses will play key roles in the design and construction stages to ensure that maximum feedback can go into the rocket, which is expected to cost taxpayers a little over 1.54 trillion won (US$1.42 billion). Government officials, meanwhile, said that because of the need to determine the exact cause behind the failed launch of the Naro-1 rocket last year, the third launch of the space vehicle will be put off until 2012. South Korea launched the Naro-1 rockets twice in 2009 and 2010, but both failed to place their 100 kilogram satellite cargo into proper orbit.