3rd launch of Naro-1 space rocket to come Oct. 26-31

The Naro-1 space rocket, which failed in two previous attempts, will be launched for a third time. The Education, Science and Technology Ministry said Tuesday that the rocket will be launched between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on a day between Oct. 26 and 31.

Noh Gyeong-won, director of the strategic technology bureau at the ministry, said, “The exact date and time of the launch will depend on conditions such as weather since the scheduled launch date is drawing near,” adding, “We cannot rule out the possibility that the launch won`t proceed on the scheduled date or within tentative dates due to unexpected variables including weather conditions, and that the launch may be delayed.”

Even if a date is fixed, the exact hour of the launch will be confirmed on the date of liftoff. The launch time should be chosen when the rocket can avoid potential collisions with satellites or the International Space Station. Other factors include the environment for the rocket, including weather, solar activity and radiation.

The Naro-1`s first launch ended in failure due to the abnormal separation of the upper fairings on Aug. 25, 2009. Following the failure of the second launch on June 10, 2010, a Korean-Russian joint team conducted a probe but failed to find the exact cause due to disagreement between both sides.

The third attempt is the final chance for the Naro, Korea’s first space rocket. Since Korea has no plan for additional launches, failure of this launch could result in a serious setback to the planned development of the Korean Standard Launch Vehicle (KSLV-2) by 2020.

edmondy@donga.com