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While NASA officials in Florida strive to launch the stalwart Discovery space shuttle against a sudden rush of problematic weather, the burgeoning space program in South Korea has this week taken a notable step forward.
Up, up and away. Image: diongillard/Flickr.
More pointedly, millions of people in South Korea have watched on with intrigue as the country successfully launched its very first space rocket early on Tuesday morning, securing its place in history during the process.
At a total cost of some $500 million USD, the two-stage Korean Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) yesterday blasted clear of its modest launch pad at the Naro space complex (some 475km south of Seoul) as it embarked on a mission to deliver an important scientific observation satellite into orbit.
Once the satellite is safely deposited into a stable orbit, South Korea will become one of only ten space-faring countries capable of planning, scheduling and executing such missions without requiring outside assistance from other technologically advanced nations – something it always had to do ahead of this particular mission.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the launch, however. Initially due to launch in late July, a number of technical issues forced officials to apply a series of delays, the latest of which saw the rocket grounded on Wednesday, August 19 due to a suspected problem with fuel pressure.
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