Nuri space rocket is placed on a launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Monday, a day before its liftoff. Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Research Institute

By Park Jae-hyuk

The Nuri space rocket was placed on a launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Monday, a day before its liftoff on Tuesday to push a 1.5-ton satellite into a low orbit of between 600 kilometers and 800 kilometers above the Earth.

The first launch attempt was called off last Wednesday due to a technical glitch found in the oxidizer tank sensor. The problematic component was replaced with a new one last Friday.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced on Monday morning that Nuri arrived at the launch site at 8:45 a.m. A transportation vehicle carrying the rocket departed at 7:20 a.m. from the assembly center which is only 1.8 kilometers away from the launch site.

The process of placing the rocket vertically began at 9:50 a.m. and the locally-developed space vehicle was finally positioned on the launch pad at 11:10 a.m., according to the ministry and KARI.

In the afternoon, technicians conducted pre-launch inspections, connecting Nuri to an "umbilical" tower that supplies electricity, fuel and oxidizers through cables plugged into the rocket.

The ministry and KARI said the final check-up at the launch pad would be finished before 7 p.m., unless they discover any other technical problems.

On Tuesday morning, the launch management committee will meet to decide whether to fill Nuri's propellant tank. Another committee will also meet that afternoon to finalize the time of the launch.

"At this moment, we aim for launch at 4 p.m. (on Tuesday)," KARI researcher Oh Seung-hyup said during a press conference at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. "The Korea Meteorological Administration did not forecast rainfall on Tuesday morning, so we do not expect any problems in pushing ahead with the launch as planned."

Last Tuesday, the plan to launch Nuri had been delayed by one day as strong winds at the launch site raised safety concerns.

During its first launch last October, Nuri flew to a target altitude of 700 kilometers, but failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit as its engine burned out 46 seconds earlier than expected.

If Nuri is successfully launched, Korea will become the seventh country to launch a space rocket with its own technology, following Russia, the U.S., France, China, Japan and India, which all possess the capability of placing an over 1-ton satellite into orbit.