Rocket Engine

[Anchor Lead]

Five years ago, South Korea' launch of the Naro-1 was regarded as an incomplete success, as its first-stage rocket was brought in from Russia. The nation successfully launched a domestically developed test rocket engine on Wednesday.

[Pkg]

[Soundbite] "Five, four, engine ignition...fire!"

As a countdown is completed, a rocket soars from a launch pad with flames. A domestically developed test rocket engine took off from the site where the Naro-1 rocket was launched five years ago.

[Soundbite] "Engine stopped!"

After watching the rocket's liftoff in silence, researchers burst into joyous applause. The combustion of the rocket lasted for 151 seconds, longer than the initial target of 140 seconds. It reached the maximum altitude of 209 kilometers in five minutes. Analysts believe that the rocket fell into international waters southeast of Jeju Island after combustion. The rocket was equipped with a single 75-ton locally developed engine.

[Soundbite] Oh Seung-hyup(Korea Aerospace Research Institute) : "From designing to manufacturing, testing and evaluation, it was domestically developed in cooperation with other agencies. As well as the engine, all other parts, including a tank and a booster, were also independently developed."

This success, which is deemed a mid-term test, has paved the way for the development of the three-stage rocket Nuri, which will consist of four 75-ton engines.