"Patience Needed to Join World's Top 7 Space Powers"... Nuriho 2nd Launch Delayed by One Day Due to Strong Winds (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Science and ICT-KARI Decision on the Morning of the 14th
"Difficulties in Transport and Installation Due to Strong Winds"
Postponed by One Day from the 15th to the 16th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The second launch of Nuriho, South Korea's first indigenous space launch vehicle, originally scheduled for the 15th, has been postponed by one day due to deteriorating weather conditions such as strong winds. Launch failures caused by malfunctions or weather conditions are common throughout the history of space launch vehicle development worldwide. There is a long history of launch failures even after successful launches due to technical issues. No matter how much "ppalli ppalli" (hurry hurry) is the national brand of Korea, it is necessary to consistently strive and wait to improve technical completeness in order to be internationally recognized as a proper space launch vehicle-owning country.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced on the morning of the 14th that the second launch of Nuriho will be postponed from the 15th to the 16th. Early that morning, KARI held a flight test committee and launch management committee meeting together with the Ministry of Science and ICT and decided accordingly. KARI explained, "Strong winds are blowing at the Naro Space Center today, and there is a possibility that they will become stronger, making it difficult to fully ensure the safety of the launch pad technical staff." KARI plans to postpone the transfer and installation of the Nuriho vehicle on the launch pad, originally scheduled for the morning of the 14th, to the 15th, and conduct the second launch on the 16th.

The weather conditions for launching space launch vehicles like Nuriho are actually not that strict. Temperatures between minus 10 degrees Celsius and plus 35 degrees Celsius, humidity below 98% (based on 25 degrees Celsius), and atmospheric pressure between 94.7 and 104 kPa are acceptable. The most important factors are wind strength, including ground wind and upper-level wind, and whether it is raining. If the ground wind is too strong, there are too many risks involved in transporting, installing, and launching the vehicle. If the average wind speed exceeds 15 m/s or the maximum instantaneous wind speed exceeds 21 m/s, it is practically impossible for launch personnel to work safely. On this day, winds stronger than these were continuously blowing around the Naro Space Center, leading to the decision to postpone due to significant disruption to launch preparation work.

Another important variable is the upper-level wind. Winds blowing at altitudes above 10 km significantly affect the vehicle's attitude, direction, and speed, so launches are only allowed when wind pressure is below 200 kPa. Lightning and clouds are also important. If cumulonimbus clouds are mixed in thick clouds, it is extremely dangerous for a space launch vehicle that must penetrate through them. Rain can also be a major variable. Although the vehicle itself is perfectly waterproofed, if the transport vehicle, which must support a weight of 200 tons during preparation, slips on rain-soaked roads, it could be disastrous. Moreover, rain can greatly hinder the technical staff's work during launch preparations and may cause problems inside the rocket during umbilical connections.

The possibility of collision with space objects is also a major checkpoint. KARI requires that the launch vehicle maintain a minimum distance of 200 km from manned spacecraft from liftoff until one orbit after orbital insertion, with a 2-minute margin considered for close approaches. The intensity of solar activity such as sunspot explosions, solar particle influx, and geomagnetic disturbances must also be considered. These are classified into grades 0 to 5, and during the most dangerous grades 4 and 5, communication between satellites and launch vehicles becomes difficult, electronic equipment may malfunction, or orbital errors may occur, leading to postponement.

Besides these weather influences, there are numerous cases of failures and setbacks caused by the inability to overcome technical limitations. This is because extremely advanced technology, materials, and high-precision processing are required. A representative case is Brazil's VLS, which began development in 1984 but ended the project in 2016 after a catastrophic explosion accident caused by failure to develop solid motors killed 21 people. European countries also abandoned their projects after all flight tests failed due to inability to properly develop the 3-stage automatic termination system and fairing separation system during the development of Europa-1 and Europa-2 in the 1960s and 1970s. The United States failed to develop the Percheron launch vehicle due to inability to develop the oxidizer tank pressurization system, and the Conestoga launch vehicle was abandoned due to failure in control system development. Russia failed to complete the N-I rocket for lunar exploration, developed in response to the US Apollo project success.

There are also many cases of difficulties. SpaceX in the US experienced various troubles while developing the Falcon 1 launch vehicle, such as failure to control propulsion system and engine vibration phenomena and stage separation failures. Japan struggled with resonance phenomena during the development of the H-II rocket and even suffered a fatal engine explosion accident involving a technician. India also faced difficulties in developing cryogenic engine technology during the development of the GSLV rocket. South Korea succeeded in launching the Naroho in 2013 after two failures.

Recently, the US private space development company Astra failed in its first commercial rocket launch. On the 12th (local time), Astra launched Rocket 3.3 carrying NASA's small satellites from the US Space Force base at Cape Canaveral, Florida, but an anomaly occurred immediately after the separation of the first and second stages, preventing the satellite from entering orbit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.