Source: Science and Technology Daily
The “World” is finally in the sky
——South Korea’s self-developed launch vehicle successfully launched
◎Xue Yan, our reporter in South Korea
On June 22, the headlines of almost all major media in South Korea unanimously reported a piece of technology news: the launch vehicle “World“, a launch vehicle independently developed by South Korea, was successfully launched on the afternoon of the 21st. From the successful launch to the morning of the next day, slogans such as “Opening the Age of the Universe” have been heard on traditional and social media. The reason why the Korean society pays so much attention to this launch is because the “World” is not only a major event in the Korean scientific and technological circles, but also its tortuous launch plot continues to attract the attention of the society.
The complex plot attracts a lot of attention
“World“, also known as KSLV-II, is the second carrier rocket in South Korea (KSLV-I is the “Luo Lao” with a more tortuous fate). Born out of Ukraine’s 15-30-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine, it is designed with the goal of sending a 1.5-ton practical satellite into Earth’s low orbit (600-800 kilometers). Since the official investment in research and development, 250 researchers in South Korea have participated in the research and development process, costing a total of 1.9572 trillion won (about 10.1 billion yuan).
On October 21, 2021, the “World” carrier rocket ignited and launched for the first time at the Naro Aerospace Center in Heung-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Although the rocket completed the flight procedure normally, it failed to send the model satellite it carried into the intended orbit. , the South Korean side regarded this as “half success”. The South Korean side later announced the reason, mainly because the helium tank inside the rocket’s third-stage oxidizer tank was separated from its original position under huge buoyancy and collided everywhere. During this process, the gas pipe of the storage tank was deformed and damaged, resulting in the leakage of helium gas, and the rupture of the oxidizer tank resulted in the leakage of the oxidizer. As a result, the oxidant injected into the third-stage engine is reduced, and the rocket has insufficient stamina for flight.
On the morning of June 15, 2022, the Korea Aeronautics and Astronautics Institute stated that the launch of the carrier rocket “World” was postponed to the 16th due to strong winds; in the afternoon, the launch vehicle “World” was originally scheduled to be launched on the 16th. However, due to abnormal sensor data in the oxidant tank, it was delayed again, and the emitter will be re-transferred to the assembly room.
Due to the geographical location of the Luo Lao Cosmos Center in South Korea, which is close to the southwest end of South Korea, and the local population is sparse and the infrastructure conditions are limited, some South Korean reporters who are engaged in science and technology reports rushed to the local area and even did not have a hotel to stay in. The repeatedly delayed rocket launches made science and technology reporters Screaming endlessly. At the same time, due to the repeated delays of the launch, the Korean nationals did not know much about rocket technology, but the twists and turns of the plot development also attracted a lot of attention. When the “World” will go to the sky has even become one of the topics at the dinner table.
How the “World” got to the sky
The “World” developed by South Korea is a three-stage rocket with a length of 47.2 meters, a maximum diameter of 3.5 meters and a weight of 200 tons. The first stage is about 21.8 meters long and 3.5 meters in diameter. It uses four KRE-075 liquid oxygen and kerosene engines with a maximum thrust of 75 tons, and uses two left and right swimming machines to control the attitude; the second stage is about 13.8 meters long and uses one KRE-075 liquid Oxygen kerosene engine, 1 swimming machine to control attitude and turning; the third stage is about 3.5 meters long, using an engine with a maximum thrust of 7 tons, which controls attitude and turning through a universal flexible nozzle; the fairing is about 7 meters long.
The Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communications of the Republic of Korea and the Korea Aeronautics and Astronautics Institute stated that at about 16:00 on June 21, South Korea time, the “World” was launched from the Naro Aerospace Center in Heung-gun, Jeollanam-do. The third-stage rocket stalled 13 minutes after launch and reached its target orbit. At the 875th second of launch, the performance verification satellite (including the CubeSat) carried by the rocket was successfully separated. At the 945th second of launch, the simulated satellite was separated from the rocket body.
South Korea’s Minister of Science, Technology, Information and Communications Lee Jong-ho held a press conference at the Naro Aerospace Center in South Korea 70 minutes after the launch of the “World” and announced that the “World” was successfully launched, and the satellites carried by the rocket have also entered the scheduled orbit, and said 6 The 21st is a landmark day in the field of Korean science and technology and in Korean history.
On the morning of June 22, the satellite launched by the “World” successfully communicated with the Daejeon ground station of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute for the first time.
South Korea steps up its push into space
After the successful launch of the “World“, the South Korean government immediately announced the establishment of the “Aerospace Agency” to comprehensively and systematically support the aerospace industry. In the military field, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea stated as early as January 2022 that the newly established “Military Space Class”, an organization dedicated to the development of military aerospace, will be in charge of military aerospace-related work. The South Korean military is currently focusing on advancing the national defense and aerospace development plan and continuously strengthening its space combat capabilities such as reconnaissance satellites. The successful launch of the “World” will continue to drive the “aerospace fever” in South Korea, and the technology accumulation and personnel training in related fields are also expected to receive more support from the government and enterprises.