39069 - KSLV-1 Rocket Body

Naro-1 (previously designated Korea Space Launch Vehicle or KSLV) is South Korea's first carrier rocket. On 30 January 2013 the third Naro-1 vehicle successfully placed STSAT-2C into low Earth orbit.

This third successful attempt marks South Korea as the 13th nation to successfully launch a rocket from its own home soil.

Attempts to launch the KSLV-1 in October and November of 2012 were both scrubbed, first due to fuel leak between the vehicle's first stage and the ground support equipment on the pad, and the next attempt due to a steering mechanism issue.

The successful launch follows two previous failed attempts in 2009 and 2010. The 2010 failure was more dramatic, with the vehicle exploding two minutes into its first stage ascent.

The rockets were built by KARI, the national space agency of South Korea, and Korean Air, with the first stage provided by NPO Energomash. The launches took place from the Naro Space Center. The official name of the first KSLV rocket, KSLV-I, is Naro, which is the name of the region in which Naro Space Center is located.

The Naro launch vehicle is based on the Universal Rocket Module, the first stage of the Russian Angara rocket, combined with a solid-fueled second stage developed by Republic of Korea.

The rocket's history ranges back to a 2004 agreement between Korea and Russia to jointly develop and build a space booster complex for the KSLV-1 launch vehicle. This agreement came to an end via the success of Wednesday's launch.

The first stage of KSLV-I was developed and fabricated in Russia while the second stage and payload were designed and built in South Korea.

South Korean media claim it took nearly 200 national institutes and companies, including the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, to build the second-stage rocket of the Naro-1. The space program has so far cost 520 billion won (US$ 471 million).

Alternate Names

Naro-1

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2013-01-30
Launch Vehicle: KSLV 1
Launch Site: Naro Space Center, South Korea