South Korea's first fully autonomous launch vehicle failed to enter orbit after launch-Chinanews.com

　　At 17:00 local time on October 21, South Korea’s self-developed "World" carrier rocket (KSLV-Ⅱ) was ignited and launched at the Raro Space Center in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do.

The rocket completed all flight procedures normally, but failed to send the model satellite on board into its intended orbit.

　　The "World" launch vehicle is South Korea's first fully self-developed launch vehicle, with a total length of 47.2 meters and a weight of 200 tons.

The rocket lifted off smoothly, the first and second stages were separated normally, and the fairing was also separated normally, but the third-stage engine stopped working early.

Although the model satellite was successfully released at an altitude of 700 kilometers, it failed to enter the intended orbit due to its failure to reach a flight speed of 7.5 kilometers per second.

　　The Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communication of South Korea plans to establish a launch investigation committee to find out the specific reasons for the premature stoppage of the third-stage engine and come up with an optimization plan to prepare for the second launch.

It is reported that the "World" carrier rocket is tentatively scheduled for its second launch on May 19 next year.

　　South Korean President Moon Jae-in observed the launch process and delivered a speech at the Luo Lao Aerospace Center that day, saying that although it is a pity that he did not achieve the set goals perfectly, he is still proud of the great achievements of the first launch.

　　Moon Jae-in also stated that the South Korean government will unswervingly continue to invest from a long-term perspective. By 2027, it will continue to carry out five launches of the "World" carrier rocket, and at the same time, it will boldly challenge the exploration of the universe and strive for 2030. Realize the dream of landing on the moon by using domestic carrier rockets.

(Reporter Liu Xu produced the video of Le Xiaomin, sourced from the Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communication of Korea)

Editor in charge: [Ye Pan]