The Korean launch vehicle Nuri (KSLV-II) arrived at the launch pad in the Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do at around 8:44 am today (20th), the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KAI) announced.



During this morning, the Nuri will be erected vertically on the launch pad with the help of an erector, which is a standing device, and then fixed to the launch pad.



The lower part of the Nuriho is tightly tied using a vehicle holding device (VHD) with four rings.



The VHD holds the Nuri unshaken and releases it when the rocket engine reaches its maximum thrust just before launch.



Earlier, at 7:20 am today, the Nuri was loaded into an unmanned special mobile vehicle (transporter) and left the launch vehicle assembly building in the Naro Space Center and moved to the launch pad for 1 hour and 24 minutes.



The distance from the assembly building to the launch pad was very close at 1.8 km, but the transporter carrying the Nuri moved slowly at 1.5 km per hour.



This afternoon, 'Umbilical Connection' for supplying power to the Nuri and charging propellants such as fuel (kerosene) and oxidizer (liquid oxygen), and identifying whether there is a possibility of fuel clogging or leaking during the charging process Preparations for launch, such as a 'confidential check', will follow.



It is expected that the installation of the launch pad will be completed before 7 PM today, unless there is a special problem during the transport and standing process of the launch pad.



The Ministry of Science and ICT will hold the Nuri launch management committee in the morning of tomorrow, the scheduled launch date, to decide whether or not to charge the Nuri with propellant.



In the afternoon, the launch management committee will be held once again to comprehensively review the technical preparation status, weather conditions, and the possibility of colliding with space objects to determine the launch time of the Nuri.



The current likely launch time is tomorrow at 4pm.



Prior to this, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology were preparing for the second launch of the Nuri on the 16th, but on the 15th, they put the Nuri on the launch pad, postponed the schedule and sent it back to the assembly building.



It was taken as an abnormality was found in the level sensor signal of the first stage oxidizer tank around 2:05 pm on the 15th.



After that, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aviation Association replaced the defective part on the 17th, and then set the launch date again to the 21st.



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(Photo=provided by Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Yonhap News)