S. Korea to ask Russia for 3rd rocket launch: official
South Korea will ask Russia for a third launch of a space rocket after the cause of last week's botched liftoff is fully determined, a government official said Wednesday. Read more
Russian Media Says Premature Separation Would Have Caused the Failure
Seoul and Moscow have initiated a joint probe into the crash of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle or Naro space rocket, which exploded 137 seconds after its launch on Thursday afternoon. An anonymous source from the Russian aerospace industry told Russia's state-run media, RIA Novosti news agency that a flash caught on camera during the communication cut-off could have been associated with a premature separation of the first-stage and second-stage rockets, leading to the failure. Korean specialists also say that the incident might have been caused by a fault in the pyrotechnical system of the separation between two rockets. Read more
Navy finds 'debris' from failed S Korean rocket launch
A South Korean navy ship has recovered debris apparently from a failed rocket launch. The rocket is thought to have exploded 137 seconds after take-off on Thursday, ending South Korea's latest attempt to join the space launch industry. The debris was picked up at sea 470 kilometres south of the Naro Space Centre at Goheung. Read more
Korea's first space rocket Naro appeared to have exploded Thursday shortly after blastoff, said officials. Read more
Korean rocket gets lost on the way
South Korea may have extended its failures to launch a rocket to put a satellite into orbit when the Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV-1) lost contact with ground controllers shortly after its 5:01 p.m. liftoff Thursday. It was KSLV-1's first launch since its maiden flight in August last year, when it achieved desired speed and height, but failed to deliver its payload satellite into orbit. Read more
S. Korea's Naro-1 rocket lifts off from space centre
South Korea's Naro-1 space rocket blasted off from a space centre on the country's southern coast on Thursday, carrying a scientific satellite into orbit. The rocket lifted off at 5:01 p.m. from the Naro Space Centre, about 485 kilometres south of Seoul. Read more
South Korea rocket 'explodes' moments after take-off
A South Korean rocket appears to have exploded moments after take-off, ending the country's latest attempt to join the space-launch industry. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 is thought to have blown up 137 seconds after take-off, said science minister Ahn Byong-man. The rocket lifted off from Goheung's Naro Space Centre at 17:01 (08:01 GMT). But contact was lost as the rocket reached an altitude of 70 kilometres. Read more
The much-anticipated second attempt to launch the Naro-1, South Korea's first space rocket, was suspended yesterday due to a technical fault. A rescheduling for the launch has yet to be finalised, the ministry said. Read more
According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology researchers detected problems in the launch pad's fire extinguisher system at around 2 p.m. this afternoon. Read more
The launch pad of the Naro Space Centre was covered in white like an ill-timed Christmas. The only thing paler was the expression of Pyun Kyung-bum, the spokesman of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, as he told reporters that the much-anticipated launching of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle I (KSLV-I) had been halted. Pyun's words were met with a collective moan by the 160 or so journalists gathered at the briefing room, the "ahs" and "ughs" perhaps loud enough to drain the reaction from a football crowd after a fumbled free kick. Read more