S Korea, Russia to jointly review cause of satellite launch failure

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korean and Russian officials will meet to determine causes of a failure in sending a satellite, carried by a jointly developed space rocket, into the target orbit in August, according to local media.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), South Korea's first space rocket, is set up  on its launch pad from the assembly complex  at the Naro Space Centre in Goheung, about  485 km (301 miles) south of Seoul, August 17,  2009(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)

The failure review board will meet in Moscow on Oct. 29, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said on Monday.

South Korea launched its first space rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), on Aug. 25, but the satellite failed to enter its target orbit after successfully separating from its carrier rocket.

Local media reported that during the 10-minute flight, the space rocket underwent brisk two-step separations, and the satellite it carried also ignited and got off the second stage as planned. However, the satellite separation was made 36 km higher than its target altitude.

Experts later found that one of the two firings did not separate from the top of the second stage rocket after launching from South Korea's Naro Space Center.