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South Korea has successfully launched a missile of its own development called KSLV-2. As part of the second launch, the rocket was able to successfully launch satellites into orbit for the first time. 14 minutes after separation from the rocket and 42 minutes after launch, the test satellite transmitted the first signals to the ground station. In the coming days, the satellite is to deploy 4 more smaller satellites developed by Korean universities.
The three-stage 47.2-meter KSLV-2 rocket was launched from the Naro Space Center on June 21 at 3:00 Eastern Standard Time (10:00 Kyiv time). At 3:02, as planned, the first stage was equipped with a group of four KRE-075 engines. The separation of the fairing took place after about one minute and forty seconds, and the acceleration unit of the second stage with one engine KRE-075 separated at 3:04. The third stage with the KRE-007 engine brought the payload to a given Earth orbit. At 3:14 am at an altitude of 700 km above the Earth at an orbital speed of 7.5 km / s, a test satellite was launched.
During the first flight last year, the KSLV-2 rocket reached the set altitude, but the third-stage engine shut down 46 seconds earlier than planned. As a result, the 1,500-pound payload model did not reach the required speed to orbit and fell to Earth south of Australia. The investigation revealed that the cause of the premature stop of the engine was incorrectly fixed helium tanks inside the upper stage. The Korean Institute for Aerospace Research (KARI) has eliminated the shortcoming by strengthening the design of the helium tanks.
The second launch of KSLV-2 was originally scheduled for June 15, and the backup launch – from 16 to 23 June. However, due to strong winds, the launch was postponed to the next day. On June 16, the launch was postponed again because during the last pre-launch inspection at the launch site, engineers found a problem with the sensor inside the tank with the oxidizer of the first stage rocket accelerator.
The development of its own KSLV-2 missile cost South Korea about $1.6 billion. The previous two-stage KSLV-1 missile, built mainly on Russian equipment, was haunted by constant delays and failures. The KSLV-1 rocket reached the desired height during the first test in 2009, but failed to launch the satellite into orbit and then exploded shortly after takeoff during the second test in 2010. Only in 2013 was it possible to successfully launch the KSLV-1 rocket. Later, South Korea focused on building its own KSLV-2 missile.
As part of the further development of its space program, South Korea intends to make 4 more launches of the KSLV-2 rocket by 2027. And by 2030 it is planned to launch the country’s first robotic lunar landing module on a rocket of its design.
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