Addis Ababa, June 21, 2022 (FBC) – South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Tuesday that the launch of the country’s first home-grown space rocket earlier in the day paved the way for South Korea to establish its own aerospace agency.
“As I said in my campaign pledge, the government will establish an aerospace agency and systematically support the aerospace industry,” the president said after the launch, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
The launch came as the result of “overcoming tough challenges” over 30 years, and now the dreams and hopes of the South Korean people will “reach out to space,” Yoon added.
Earlier in the day, the South Korean rocket Nuri (KSLV-II) was successfully launched from a spaceport in the south of the country, reached the target altitude and placed a satellite into orbit, making South Korea the seventh country in the world with the capacity to launch satellites weighing over 1 tonne on indigenous carrier rockets.
Nuri is South Korea’s first entirely homegrown launch vehicle. The first stage of its predecessor, Naro-1 (KSLV-1), was made in Russia. Its maiden launch had to be postponed from the initial date last week due to technical glitches, according to Sputnik.