By Bernama,
Moscow : A mock-up of the first stage of South Korea’s new rocket was sent from Russia to South Korea for testing, Russian news agency, Itar-Tass, reported.
A representative of the Khrunichev State Space Science and Production Center, where the first stage is being manufactured for the South Korean rocket KSL.I (Korean Space Launch Vehicle) told Itar-Tass that a container with the mock-up intended for testing a launch pad and auxiliary equipment were sent by train from Moscow to Ulyanovsk, from which a plane will transport them to the South Korean port city of Pusan.
The rocket will further travel by sea to the space center Naro, where the launch pad for KSL.V is being constructed.
The 36-meter container is to be delivered to Pusan on August 9 on the board of the heavy transport plane AN-100-124 Ruslan of the Russian air carrier Polyot, which specialises in transportation of large and non-standard cargo, and is a carrier of the Federal Space Agency.
On arrival of the mock-up at Naro, Russian and Korean specialists will carry out a number of tests, the goal of which is the trial of ground technological equipment and the launch pad.
Russia and South Korea have agreed within the framework of an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in exploration of outer space in peaceful purposes, with the joint development of the space rocket complex with the light rocket KSL.V.
The contract on manufacture of it was signed in October of 2004.
Under the contract, the Khrunichev center designs and produces the first stage, and South Korea manufactures the second stage and the payload.
Besides, the construction of the launch pad involves Russia’s Design Office of Transport Machine Building, and the engine of the first stage in being manufactured at the science and production association Energomsh.