South Korea's 1st rocket, Naro-1, explodes after take-off

[Ruag]

Naro-1 explodes after takeoff

What started with cheers turned into suspicion and then dismay - all in the course of minutes.

The Naro-1, the first Korean-made rocket, fell into the sea in pieces only 137 seconds after its launch yesterday, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, dashing Korea’s hopes of becoming the world’s 10th country to shoot off a satellite. The rocket - Korea’s second attempt to get a satellite in space, after a failed liftoff last August - failed a day after a glitch with a fire-extinguisher system suspended the Naro-1’s planned launch.

In a briefing, the ministry said the satellite is estimated to have exploded at an altitude of 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) only 137.19 seconds after liftoff at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla. “Based on a flash caught on a camera installed on the upper part of Naro-1 at the time when communications with the satellite were cut off, we believe that the rocket exploded when the first-stage rocket was in the process of combusting,” said Ahn Byung-young, minister of education, science and technology. “As soon as the exact cause is determined, we will announce it and then prepare for the third trial for the launch.”

Ahn said Korea and Russia will form a joint investigation squad to look into what brought the rocket down. Naro-1 was designed in Korea with Russian help, and the Russians built the first stage of the two-stage rocket. The Korean government spent 502.5 billion won ($402.6 million) to develop it.

“I can’t believe this,” said Jung Eun-sun, a 36-year-old mother from Nokdong-myeon, Goheung County, South Jeolla. Jung was one of about 1,000 spectators from across the country who had gathered at Namyeol Beach, 15 kilometers away from the center. “I thought watching this historic moment would be a better educational opportunity than being at school, so I had my daughter skip class to bring her here. It’s so disappointing,” she said.

The explosion marks the second failure to launch the Naro-1, after a technical glitch during the Aug. 25, 2009, attempt kept the rocket from releasing the Scientific and Technology Satellite 2. The rocket’s protective shields (called fairings) failed to open on command. Experts said that at an altitude of 70 kilometers, where Naro-1 exploded yesterday, the fairings would not yet have opened. Had the launch succeeded, it would have been the 12th Korean satellite to lift off. Korea entered the space race when it launched the Woori 1 research satellite in Latin America in August 1992. Experts said failure is not uncommon during rocket launches. According to local data, the five space science powerhouses - the United States, Russia, Europe, China and Japan - have failed to lift off satellites around 400 times in the past.

But yesterday’s failure could disrupt the government’s ambition to join in space exploration, experts said. Earlier,

The government had said that it plans to develop the Naro-2, or Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2, using all domestic technologies, by 2018. It has earmarked more than 1 trillion won for the project.

Economic damage from the failure would be not insignificant, experts said. In a report released Wednesday, the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade said the economic benefit from the launch could reach 2.4 trillion won.

INSIDE JoongAng Daily

 

[Rocketsingh]

sadddddddd

 

[tinguzzz]

I think India should help them....

 

[anathema]

Russians are helping them....there is no additional input that India can give. But the best part is -- "THEY TRIED" ..... They will be succesful eventually.

 

[su-47]

well, we should all congratulate South Korea on their attempt. and yes, best of luck next time guys! Don't lose heart! keep trying! Eventual success is worth the failure!

 

[razgriz19]

Written by Mary McHugh
Thursday, 10 June 2010 17:55
After a day's delay in liftoff due to a malfunctioning fire extinguishing system on the launchpad, on June 10 at 5:01 p.m. South Korean time, the Naro-1 satellite launcher lifted off from the Naro Space Center at Goheung on the south coast. It then exploded about two and a half minutes later. This was the second failure in as many tries for the multistage rocket. Controllers who were at first cheering, were dismayed 137 seconds later at seeing a bright flash on their screens transmitted from the camera mounted on the tip of the rocket. At that time, the Naro-1 would have been about 43 miles above the earth. Ahn Byong-man, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, told reporters that officials assume the explosion took place at that point. It was during the first-stage ignition.

Though there was live camera coverage, footage of the rocket falling back into the water could not at first be clearly seen. It took video engineers splicing together available shots from different camera angles, to finally assemble recognizable video of the event. The head of the Korean Aerospace Research Institute, Lee Joo-jin, asserted that everything seemed fine prior to the explosion.

Despite this major setback, plans remain to continue with the space program in South Korea, although there may be ensuing legalities and budget issues. It had hoped to continue lessening dependence on other countries to launch its satellite and communication systems, and assemble its own space vehicle by about 2018.

Politics have been part and parcel of South Korea's space program during this time. Said the Wall Street Journal:

South Korea's space efforts have been criticized by neighboring North Korea, whose own attempts to build a multistage rocket have been seen as part of a missile weapons program and drawn international condemnation.North Korea has tested three multistage rockets, most recently in April last year. Pyongyang has claimed it reached space with each, though international space agencies and militaries say none succeeded.

A report from Reuters added:

Pyongyang said it was unjust for it to be hit with U.N. sanctions for firing off a long-range rocket in April 2009, but regional powers saw the launch as a disguised test of a ballistic missile that violated U.N. measures.

Apart from North Korea, few doubt the South's rocket was for anything but its civilian space program, although experts said it did raise questions about regional security because it could also enhance Seoul's ability to build ballistic missiles.

Another perhaps controversial aspect is that South Korea engaged the help of Russia in developing the Naro-1's liquid-fueled first stage. The Russians assistance included tests and technical advice. Following last year's launch, Russia asserted its booster had nothing to do with that failure, which later was blamed on problems with the stage-separation systems. By Thursday noon Russia had yet to comment on this latest explosion; neither had North Korea.

There is no word as yet from South Korean officials as to when a third attempt will be made. The Naro-1, also called the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, was a 108 ft. long two-stage rocket which cost $450.7 million to construct.

South Korean Rocket Fails Again

 

[applesauce]

the contract states that if the first 2 attempts fail(they did) then a third is allowed so they will try a third time before the whole is it worth it debate begins in earnest.