This file photo, provided by the defense ministry, shows South Korea’s first-ever test-firing of a solid-fuel rocket at a test site of the state-run Agency for Defense Development in Taean, 109 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on March 30, 2022.
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s defense ministry said Monday that last week’s successful flight test of a homegrown solid-propellant space vehicle reflects progress in the country’s quest to secure “independent” space security capabilities.
The state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) conducted the experiment, involving the engine combustion tests of the second-, third- and fourth-stage rockets of the four-stage vehicle, on Friday, whereas its first flight test in March involved only that of the second-stage rocket.
The space vehicle under development uses sold fuel for the first three rockets, while it employs liquid fuel for the fourth stage as it is considered easier to modulate the quantity of injected fuel in a liquid-fuel rocket in order to ensure an accurate entry into orbit.
“All events proceeded normally in the second flight test,” a government researcher told reporters on condition of anonymity. “It is difficult to say specifically how much progress we’ve made, but there was considerable progress.”
This combined photo, provided by the defense ministry on Jan. 2, 2023, shows South Korea’s first-ever test-firing of a four-stage solid-fuel rocket, conducted at several locations in the country on Dec. 30.
The latest flight test was designed to verify various elements, such as propellant combustion, fairing separation, rocket separation, the attitude control of the upper-stage rocket and the separation of a dummy satellite, according to the ministry.
The ministry currently aims to put a 500-kilogram Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite into a low Earth orbit around 2025 for space-based reconnaissance and surveillance operations, following other flight tests and technology verification procedures.
“The success of the second flight test represents a significant milestone in solidifying the foundation for the construction of our military’s independent space force capabilities,” the ministry said in a press release.
The technologies secured through the space vehicle project will be transferred to the civilian sector under a “spin-off” program to contribute to invigorating the space industry, according to the ministry.
The South’s push to develop the space rocket comes as the North has been doubling down on its drive to secure a solid-fuel rocket.
In December, the North claimed to have tested a “high-thrust solid-fuel” rocket motor to develop another “new-type strategic weapon system.”
(Yonhap)
