Nuriho Final Check 'No Issues'... D-1 Until Republic of Korea's Great Leap

KARI On-site Briefing on the 20th Afternoon: "No Issues Found in All Electrical Components Including the Problematic Sensor"
Final Checks Ongoing Until 7 PM After Mounting on Launch Pad and Umbilical Connection
Weather Forecast for the 21st Also No Major Issues... "Doing Our Best for Success"

The Korean launch vehicle Nuriho (KSLV-II), designed and manufactured purely with domestic technology, stands upright on the launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, one day before its second launch on the 20th. Photo by Korea Aerospace Research Institute

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] On the 20th, preparations for the second launch of South Korea's first indigenous space launch vehicle, 'Nuriho,' are progressing smoothly without any malfunctions. Attention is focused on whether it will be successfully launched on the 21st and become a pioneer in South Korea's space domain development.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) held a briefing on the afternoon of the 20th at the Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, where Nuriho will be launched, and announced this. According to the briefing, as of 4 p.m., the Nuriho vehicle to be used for the second launch is standing on the launch pad undergoing final inspections. It departed from the assembly building at Naro Space Center around 7:20 a.m. and arrived at the second launch pad around 8:45 a.m. Subsequently, the erection and fastening of the fixing devices were completed around 11:10 a.m., and currently, umbilical connections and inspection work for electrical, fuel, and propellant supply, as well as various system connections, are underway. KARI expects to complete the umbilical connections and airtight inspections, which are tasks done a day before the launch, around 7 p.m. Fortunately, no issues like the oxidizer charging tank sensor anomaly discovered on the 15th were found during this process. Oh Seung-hyeop, head of KARI's Korean Launch Vehicle Development Division, stated, "Electrical inspections were conducted this afternoon, and the inspection process for the oxidizer tank sensor and all mechanical components proceeded normally," adding, "The cause of the sensor anomaly has not yet been identified, and we plan to investigate further."

The last variable, the weather, is also expected to pose no significant problems at present. According to KARI, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecasts no rain during the launch preparation time tomorrow morning. Additionally, the 'high-altitude winds' blowing above 10 km from the ground are currently in a 'stable' state, so they are not expected to interfere with the launch. Oh said, "Based on the forecast, we expect to proceed with the launch operations normally tomorrow morning without any issues," and explained, "The high-altitude winds are stable, but we will make the final decision on the launch after four additional measurements by tomorrow." However, the ongoing inspections have not yet been completed, so the discovery of other issues remains a final variable.

Oh added, "There is always a possibility of mechanical problems with the launch vehicle hardware or issues with valves and such," but he reassured, "However, we have continuously checked all aspects, and since the defects that appeared during the first launch last October have been corrected, we are not overly concerned." He continued, "We will maintain our focus until the very end and do our best to ensure a successful launch," expressing his determination, "We will definitely open the path for the Republic of Korea to reach space."

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