Tag: rockets

I think this will be North Korea’s excuse to launch ICBM technology over neighboring countries by claiming they are satellite launches:

North Korea’s development of a high-thrust engine capable of carrying a rocket has provided a “sure guarantee” for the country to launch various satellites into orbit, according to state media Monday.

Pak Kyong-su, vice director of the National Aerospace Development Administration, made the remarks amid speculation the North is likely to put a military spy satellite into orbit by April.

In an interview by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of the North’s accession to the international outer space treaty, Pak said the North has made “steady” progress in the work to develop “multi-functional and high-performance” satellites.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like all the time General Abrams spent dealing with North Korea’s “Rocket Man” has inspired him to become a Rocket Man himself:

Retired Army Gen. Robert Abrams, the former commander of U.S. Forces Korea, has joined the “green” rocket engine manufacturer Vaya Space as a senior adviser, according to a company news release Thursday.

Abrams, who commanded roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea, also led U.N. Command and Combined Forces Command from 2018 until his retirement in 2021. He was succeeded by Army Gen. Paul LaCamera.

Florida-based Vaya Space manufactures rocket engines from recycled plastics and uses over 20 metric tons for each launch, according to its website. The company is scheduled to launch its first Dauntless vehicle later this year, which will be powered by ignited thermoplastics and liquid oxidizer.

Abrams said he chose to serve on Vaya Space’s board “because I became convinced that their technologies coupled with their excellent leadership team can make a tremendous difference for our country,” according to the company’s release.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Congratulations to everyone at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute that helped developed this successful rocket:

 South Korea on Tuesday successfully launched its homegrown space rocket Nuri in the second attempt to put satellites into orbit, reaching a major milestone in the country’s space program.

The 200-ton Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, blasted off from the Naro Space Center in the country’s southern coastal village of Goheung at 3:59:59.9 p.m. and successfully completed its flight sequence, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The rocket also deployed satellites at the target altitude of 700 kilometers as planned. Of those, a performance verification satellite successfully reached its orbit, according to officials.

According to Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Nuri’s first stage rocket separated 123 seconds after launch at an altitude of 62 kilometers, followed by its fairing and second stage rocket separations at altitudes of 202 kilometers and 273 kilometers, respectively.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I believe that space technology is the next major growth market and South Korea is trying to develop the rocket technology to be part of that market.

Best of luck for a successful launch to all the ROK engineers that worked so hard on developing this rocket:

South Korea’s homegrown space rocket Nuri will be moved to the launch pad early Monday as planned for its scheduled launch the following day, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said Sunday.

The institute canceled its initial plan to launch Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, last Thursday after a part in the oxidizer tank sensor was seen malfunctioning during a final pre-launch checkup at the launch pad in Naro Space Center in Goheung, a southern coastal village some 470 kilometers south of Seoul. 

The launch was rescheduled to Tuesday after aerospace engineers replaced the malfunctioning part.

Nuri will be transported from the assembly building to the launch pad at 7:20 a.m., the aerospace institute decided in a meeting of the flight test committee.

The liftoff is likely to take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday, but the time could change, officials said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Rocket failures during testing is part of perfecting space technology. NASA, SpaceX, etc. have all had rocket failures. I am sure the ROK scientists will learn from this and correct the identified issues with the third stage of the rocket that failed to reach 7.5 km per second which is the orbital velocity needed to put a satellite into orbit:

South Korea failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit with its first homegrown space rocket Thursday, dealing a setback to the country’s decade-long project to join the elite global space club.

The KSLV-II rocket, also known as Nuri, flew to a target altitude of 700 kilometers but failed to place the 1.5-ton dummy satellite into orbit.

“The test-launch of Nuri-ho was completed. I am proud of it,” President Moon Jae-in said in a press briefing at the Naro Space Center in the country’s southern coastal village of Goheung. “Regrettably, we did not perfectly reach the goal, but we made a very creditable achievement in the first launch.” 

The failure underscores the challenges of sending a satellite into orbit, a space launch vehicle technology that South Korea has been seeking to acquire for more than a decade for its space program.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this rocket launch likely means the North Koreans are going to launch something in response in the near term. We saw that they recently launched an SLBM not long after the ROK tested theirs. I would not be surprised if North Korea attempts a space launch in the near term to try and show up the ROK.

North Korea says they did not test a missile, but instead a large caliber rocket system this week:

 North Korea said Thursday it tested a new rocket system in launches conducted the previous day, raising questions about South Korea’s assessment that the communist nation is believed to have fired short-range ballistic missiles.

Leader Kim Jong-un “guided a test-fire of a newly developed large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system on July 31,” the Korean Central News Agency said.

“The test-fire scientifically confirmed that the tactical data and technical characteristics of the new-type large-caliber guided ordnance rocket reached the numerical values of its design, and verified the combat effectiveness of the overall system,” the KCNA said. 

“After learning about the result of the test-fire, (Kim Jong-un) said that it is very great and it would be an inescapable distress to the forces becoming a fat target of the weapon,” it added.

The KCNA did not mention any country as its potential target, but the report appears to be referring to Seoul, which is apparently within the range of the weapon.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the “fat target” North Korea is referring to could not only be Seoul, but Camp Humphreys as well.

It looks like in the New Year we can expect more North Korean ICBM launches disguised as space launches:

North Korea on Monday defended its push for space development as a “legitimate” exercise of its rights, sparking speculation that it may continue to stage missile provocations under the disguise of satellite launches.

The Rodong Sinmin, the official newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, claimed that with its launch of the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite in February last year, Pyongyang has “in earnest” entered the stage of developing application satellites.

“Our satellite launch is a legitimate exercise of the right that thoroughly fits the U.N. Charter that enshrines the basic rights of respect for sovereignty and equality, and the international law that governs the peaceful use of space,” the newspaper said.

Enumerating foreign cases such as space development launches by Algeria and Venezuela, the newspaper said that space development has become a domain for international competition that involves not only a few advanced countries, but also many others.

“Our country is also in step with the trends of space development that is taking place broadly across the world,” it said.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but if the North Koreans want people to believe these are legitimate satellite launches then why don’t they invite inspectors to look at the payload on the rocket?

More photos from today’s Falcon 9 launch and first stage landing → https://t.co/095WHX44BX pic.twitter.com/ZWzr7kWJsZ

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 12, 2017