South Korea postpones launch of space rocket

TOKYO: South Korea on Wednesday postponed the launch of homegrown space rocket Nuri, as a sensor in the oxidizer tank showed irregularities, just one day ahead of the scheduled liftoff.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) will transport Nuri back to the assembly building for technical review from the launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung, a southern coastal village some 470 km south of Seoul, officials said.

"Trying to verify the problem with the rocket erected was difficult, hence we determined that proceeding with the launch preparation was impossible under the current situation," a KARI official said.

The official said a new launch date should be decided after the cause of the problem is identified and fixed, Yonhap news agency reported. According to KARI, readings of the oxidizer tank sensor normally change when the rocket is being erected. Readings on Nuri's sensor, however, did not show any change during the process. (IANS)

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