Launch of weather satellite halted again

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sun, October 1, 2023 | 20:23

Launch of weather satellite halted again

Posted : 2010-06-25 18:52

Updated : 2010-06-25 18:52

The launch of the nation's first geostationary ocean weather satellite was halted for the second time in two days due to mechanical glitches, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said Friday.

Abnormal readings were detected during the final countdown process, with the countdown having been halted 17 seconds before blastoff, it said.

The Chollian communication, ocean and meteorological satellite (COMS) was originally set to lift off on the Ariane-5ECA rocket at 6:41 a.m. (KST) Thursday, but low pressure levels in both the first and second stage rockets forced a delay of 24 hours, it said.

The exact cause of the delay was being examined by onsite engineers at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

"The problem of low pressure in the first stage rocket was detected again. It's uncertain when to attempt a new launch," a KARI official said.

The government and other state agencies have invested 355 billion won ($294 mil) to develop the satellite since September, 2003.