Nuriho Launch Delayed by 1 Hour to 5 PM... "Additional Inspection Time Required" (Comprehensive)

Yong Hong-taek, 1st Vice Minister of Science and ICT. [Goheung Naro Space Center=Joint Press Corps]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The launch of Korea's space launch vehicle Nuriho has been delayed by one hour to 5 p.m.

Yong Hong-taek, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced this around 2:30 p.m. on the 21st at the briefing room of Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, explaining the results of the recently held Launch Management Committee meeting.

Vice Minister Yong said, "After a comprehensive review of the technical preparation status for the Nuriho launch, weather conditions, and the possibility of collision with space objects, it was finally decided to proceed with the launch target procedure at exactly 5 p.m. Originally scheduled for 4 p.m., additional time was required to inspect the lower system and valves of the launch vehicle."

At around 11:30 a.m. today, a problem was discovered with a ground valve during inspection, so the technical team was allowed to approach the launch pad again for re-inspection, which caused a delay and extended the launch time.

Lee Sang-ryul, President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, also explained, "To inspect the valves inside the launch vehicle, other external systems are required. There are several facilities under the launch pad." He added, "It seemed there was a problem with the lower system of the launch pad, so personnel went directly to check and confirmed there was no issue. This process took about an hour, which caused the change in launch time."

Vice Minister Yong also emphasized, "If the intensity and fluctuation of the upper-level winds before the final launch are expected to exceed the load that Nuriho can withstand, the schedule may be subject to change." Currently, it is known that strong winds exceeding 20 m/s are blowing at altitudes above 5 km over the Naro Space Center.

Vice Minister Yong said, "Nuriho will complete fuel charging 1 hour and 20 minutes before launch, and oxidizer charging will be completed 50 minutes before launch," adding, "From 10 minutes before launch, automatic launch operation will begin, and if any abnormalities are detected, the launch will be automatically aborted." He concluded, "The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute will do their best until the very end to ensure a safe and reliable Nuriho launch."