NURI READY TO BE LAUNCHED

[Anchor Lead]

The launch of Korea’s first homegrown space rocket was delayed last week after finding an issue with its oxidizer sensor. Now Nuri is up for another go. A new sensor has been fitted and the rocket has been transported and erected the launch pad, ready to be launched on Tuesday.

[Pkg]

On June 14th, just a day before the scheduled launch date, Nuri failed to make it to the launch pad because of strong winds. On the following day, the rocket was transported to the launch pad and erected smoothly, but another problem ensued. A problem was detected on the sensor that measures the level of oxidizer in the first stage. The rocket was moved to the assembly site again with engineers conducting a round-the-clock inspection. Two days later, on June 17th, the science ministry and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said the problem was fixed. Nuri will be ready for its second launch on June 21st.

[Soundbite] Kwon Hyun-joon(Ministry of Science and ICT (June 17)) : "Engineers replaced and checked the component. They also completed an electrical inspection on all stages and found not issues."

The engineers at first thought the first and second stages needed to be disassembled to replace the defective level sensor. But they found a way to change only the key component and finished the job in just one day. An additional electrical inspection done over the weekend found no problems. The ministry said the launch date could be moved again depending on the weather. But the Flight Test Committee confirmed Sunday evening that there is no problem with the launch schedule. Korea's weather agency projected cloudy skies for Monday at the Naro Space Center, with wind speeds to remain between one to three meters per second. Overcast skies and rain are forecast for Tuesday but not enough to interfere with the launch. Nuri, now erected on the launch pad once again...will undergo final pre-launch checks until Monday evening. If all goes well, the ministry will finalize the launch time Tuesday after considering weather and other factors.