spacetoday.net: First South Korean launch postponed

First South Korean launch postponed

Posted: Wed, Aug 19, 2009, 2:05 PM ET (1805 GMT)
KSLV-1 launch vehicle (KARI)

South Korea's first attempt to launch a satellite into orbit was scrubbed Wednesday because of a pressurization problem. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV-1) was scheduled to lift off Wednesday from the Naro spaceport in the southern part of the country. However, the countdown was stopped eight minutes before liftoff because of a technical issue later reported to be a pressurization problem with a fuel tank that prevented a valve from working properly. No new launch date has been announced but it's expected to be at least several days before another launch can be attempted. The rocket, which uses Russian technology under an agreement between South Korea and Russia, will place a small experimental satellite into low Earth orbit.