South Korea launches first rocket

// added August 25, 2009 // 12 comments //
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http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE57O1KJ20090825

"South Korea launched its first space rocket on Tuesday but failed to put a scientific satellite into its planned orbit in a setback for the country's nascent space program.

The launch was expected to rile prickly North Korea, which was hit by U.N. sanctions after it fired a long-range rocket in April in what was widely seen as a disguised missile test.

The payload separated from the second-stage booster about eight minutes after lift-off but did not enter its targeted orbit, project officials told a briefing at the space center on South Korea's southern coast, 350 km (220 miles) from Seoul.

"The first stage engine and the second-stage kick motor operated normally and the satellite separated, but it did not put it precisely in the target orbit," Science Minister Ahn Byong-man said.

Officials could not immediately explain what went wrong or what would happen to the satellite, but they said it did not have a booster mechanism to correct its trajectory.

The officials called the project a "partial success" and said they would continue work on a second launch scheduled for next year."
  1. groups:
    News,   Science,   US Politics,   News_Featured,   2 more
  2. tags:
    South Korea,  Rockets

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