Earth Bureau | From "Luo Lao" to "World", South Korea opens the road of space?

Reporter Zhao Enting

On June 21, after two postponing, the "World" carrier rocket independently developed in South Korea launched a launch in Luo Lao Aerospace Center, and the satellites equipped with the scheduled track were operated. Minister of Science and Technology Information and Communications, Li Zonghao, announced that the "World" was successfully launched. South Korean President Yin Xiyue watched the launch process live in the Presidential Palace. He said that the successful launch of the Rockets is the result of the efforts of the past 30 years, and South Korea's road to space has been opened.

Since the start of the "Luo Lao" rocket project in South Korea in 2002, South Korean aerospace has completed the process of helping other countries from the beginning of the past 20 years, to independent research and development. The "Luo Lao", which was successfully launched 9 years ago, has experienced two failures. Today, the "World" has also tasted the taste of failure. Fortunately, these have become the foundation of success in the future. According to the Yonhap News Agency, South Korea has become the seventh country that has successfully launched a self -developed rocket in the local area.

On June 21, South Korea's "World" rocket launched at the Lao Aerospace Center.

[Open South Korea's Road to Space]

On the afternoon of June 21, at the Luo Lao Aerospace Center of Luo Lao Island, Jeonan Road, Quanluanda Road, South Korea, when the "World" rocket stood on the launcher again, South Korea still had a heart hanging up and down. What happened.

At 16:00 on the same day (15:00 Beijing time), the "World" ignited lift off. At 17:10, the Minister of Science and Technology Information and Communication of Korea, Li Zonghao, announced that the "World" was successfully launched, and the rocket's satellites also successfully entered the scheduled track operation. According to his statement, the successful launch of the "World" is a milestone moment in the field of science and technology in Korea.

This moment is not easy. On May 25 this year, the Ministry of Science and Technology Information Communication of Korea stated that the "World" Launch Management Committee meeting on the day decided that the "World" was launched for the second time on June 15. However, by June 15, the "World" was forced to delay the launch of the day due to strong winds; on June 16, the launch plan was delayed again due to abnormal data.

This is worrying whether the "World" will repeat the same mistakes for the first launch failure. On October 21, 2021, the "World" was launched for the first time, but because the third -level engine was turned off earlier than expected, a 1.5 -ton model satellite that was not carried by the Rockets was sent to the predetermined track. Essence After investigation, it was found that this was mainly due to the loosening of fixed devices inside the third -level engine, causing the sorchium tank to fall off.

Last October, after the first launch of the "World" failed, the then South Korean President Moon Jae -in at the Luo Lao Aerospace Center watched the launch process.

At the first launch of last year, then South Korean President Moon Jae -in went to the site of Luo Lao Aerospace Center to observe. The launch failed made Wen Zaiyin "regret". Despite this, the Rockets still completed all the flight order and reached the height of 700 kilometers from the earth. Wen Zaiyin said: "I am very proud."

Now that the "World" is launched again, the new South Korean President Yin Xiyue did not go to Luo Lao Aerospace Center, but watched the live broadcast at the Presidential Palace in Longshan, Seoul. After the launch was successful, Yin Xiyue and the staff of the scenes applauded, and he also gave his thumbs and pointers with both hands.

Yin Xiyue said that this is the crystallization of hard work over the past 30 years, and South Korea has opened the road to space. Moreover, the Yin Xiyue government will establish an aviation universe to support the aerospace industry. The Yonhap News Agency reported that the launch distance in 1993 has launched the first scientific observation rocket "KSR-I" for nearly 30 years. Now South Korea has become the seventh country that successfully launch self-developed rockets in the local area.

The "World" rocket is 47.2 meters in length and 200 tons. From March 2010, it was developed by the Korean Cosmic Research Institute and domestic enterprises to design the 1.5 -ton practical satellite into the 600 to 800 kilometers of near -land orbit. A total of 195.72 trillion won (about 10 billion yuan). According to the South Korea Herald, more than 300 folk SMEs in South Korea participated in the manufacturing of the "World" and assembled more than 370,000 components.

On the 21st, after the successful launch of the "World", Yin Xiyue, who watched the live broadcast of the live broadcast in Longshan Presidential Palace in Seoul, gave a thumbs up.

The "World" launched this time is equipped with a 180 kg of South Korea's first domestic performance verification satellite and 4 cube satellites developed by Korean universities. According to the Yonhap News Agency, performance verification satellites have completed two -way communication with the ground control station in the early morning of the 22nd, and the cube satellites will be released one after another on June 29. South Korea will create the third "World" rocket in the first half of next year, and plans to launch 4 again by 2027.

"All countries are competing for the leading position of the aerospace industry to ensure their advantages in national security and future competitiveness." Yin Xiyue promised during the presidential period to make South Korea among one of the seven major space powers in the world. However, after the successful launch of the "World", some Korean netizens said that "this is Wen Zaiyin's achievements" "thanks to the former president Wen Zaiyin."

After the first launch of the "World" in October last year, Wen Zaiyin mentioned that the Rockets will be launched again in May 2022. However, he stepped down on May 10 this year and returned to his hometown for retirement. He failed to witness the second launch of the "World" for the second time during his term of office. The reason why Koreans thought of Wen Zaiyin at this time may be due to his time when he visited the United States in May last year, South Korea -US businessmen settled the "Korean and American Missile Guide". The "World" rocket in the transshipment

["Luo Lao" named "Luo Lao"]

In the 1960s and 1970s, the "Hanjiang Miracle" made South Korea's economy develop rapidly. By the end of the 1980s, South Korean aerospace began and entered the satellite field in the early 1990s. Yonhap News Agency's first scientific observation "KSR-I" mentioned in South Korea's first scientific observation in South Korea in 1993 was completed with France.

In 2000, with the help of Russia, South Korea built Luo Lao Aerospace Center. In 2002, South Korea decided to build a rocket on the basis of the "KSR-III" empty rocket. However, South Korea ’s aerospace industry has a weak foundation and lack of related technologies. It cannot independently manufacture large rockets.

In desperation, South Korea reached an agreement with the National Aerospace Research and Production Center of the Khrunchev in Russia in 2004 to develop a first -class rocket by Russia. South Korea built a second -class rocket. The two parties cooperated to launch three times. The Rockets was named "Luo Lao" because of the center of Luo Lao. The rocket is 33 meters long and weighs 140 tons, and its carrier capacity of 300 kilometers near -ground is 100 kg.

Initially, South Korea's goal was to launch the "Luo Lao" in 2005, but due to the approval of the South Korean and Russian cooperation agreement, it was first launched to 2008 after 2007. By 2009, the launch date was postponed to the second quarter of that year due to the failure of some parts. Since then, the "Luo Lao" continues to postpone launch due to increasing performance tests of the launch table, the delay of the final combustion test, and data analysis problems.

"Luo Lao" rocket launch site. (Expressive)

On August 19, 2009, on the eve of the first launch of the "Luo Lao", the problem of the valve pressure device caused the automatic timing control device to stop, and the "Luo Lao" was forced to postpone the launch for the seventh time. Until the 25th of the same month, the "Luo Lao" finally launched a launch for the first time. However, because the rectifier failed to separate from the rocket, the satellite was not able to enter the predetermined orbit, and it was burned when it fell into the atmosphere. The reason why the rectifier is not separated is because the separation device has structural defects and circuit design problems.

On June 7, 2010, the "Luo Lao" entered the launching table for a second launch, but electronic instrument faults occurred. Two days later, the launch program was forced to suspend due to failure of the fire equipment. It was not until the 10th of the same month that the "Luo Lao" was launched for the second time. But after 137 seconds, the Rockets lost contact with the ground, and then deviated from the scheduled track and the explosion and crashed. The survey showed that the cause of the accident was the defect of separation bolts, which caused a problem with the pusher and caused a rocket explosion.

On October 26, 2012, due to the problem of the "adapter block" connected to the rocket and the transmitting table, the third launch of the "Luo Lao" was postponed until mid -November of the same year. Later for various reasons, South Korea will postpone the launch time to November 29. However, on the 29th, after the countdown of the "Luo Lao" was 16 minutes before the launch, the upper end of the secondary rocket appeared abnormal, and the launch was canceled.

Until January 30, 2013, the "Luo Lao" carrying Korean space dreams was successful for the third time. From the official launch of the "Luo Lao" rocket project in 2002, South Korea has invested approximately 520 billion won (about 2.65 billion yuan) in the past 10 years. A report released by the Korean Institute of Industry at that time showed that the successful launch of the "Luo Lao" will bring about 1.76 trillion to 2.34 trillion won of economic benefits to various related industries in Korea.

In addition to the space economy and enhancement, South Korea also hopes to promote the improvement of missile technology through independent development of rockets. South Korea signed the "South Korea -American Missile Guide" with the United States in 1979 to introduce missile technology under the control of the United States. The agreement has been revised four times, but due to this constraint, South Korea is difficult to develop ballistic missiles with a range of more than 800 kilometers.

Therefore, after Wen Zaiyin visited the United States and the US President Biden in May last year, he agreed to terminate the "Korean Missile Guide", and South Korean public opinion called it "South Korea's recovery of missile sovereignty". The Korean media has regarded the successful launch of the "Luo Lao" as the first step in South Korea's towards a powerful space. After a lapse of 9 years, the "World" is successfully launched, South Korea has become the seventh of the carrier rocket that can be developed by independent development. The country where the practical satellite is sent to space.

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