Article Posted on : - Nov 27, 2012

A file photo of Naro-1 launch.

SEOUL (BNS): South Korea is getting ready to launch a space rocket on Thursday after postponing it twice since last month.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), which is set to put a 100-kg class satellite into low-Earth orbit, arrived at its launch pad at the Naro Space Center on the south coast on Tuesday, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The space rocket, also called Naro-1, will soon be connected to the launch pad's cable mast, which is a pillar-like structure that houses all electric wires and gas pumps connected to the rocket, and fastened to the erector, which helps set the rocket into an upright position, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said.

The 140-tonne KSLV-1 was originally scheduled to blast off on October 26 but the launch was put off following a technical glitch.

A new launch window was set from November 9-24, but the mission could not be executed as there were delays in the arrival of rocket parts from Russia.

While the first stage of the rocket has been manufactured by Russia, KARI has developed its solid-fuel second stage.

Previously, S Korea has made two attempts to launch the rocket in 2009 and 2010, but both ending in failure.

The latest bid to launch the space vehicle is seen as a crucial attempt by Seoul to join an elite club of Asian spacefarers that includes China, Japan and India.