Public asked to help name Korea’s first space rocket

The government said yesterday it will ask the general public to help it name Korea’s first indigenously developed space rocket.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said people can click on to its Web site (www.kslv.or.kr) from today through March 31 to submit names for the rocket.

Since 2002, Seoul has spent 502.5 billion won ($333.4 million) to build the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) that is expected to be launched in the second half of this year.

The Naro Space Center was built in the southwestern part of the country in preparation for the launch.

“The open contest could help boost hopes and highlight the aspirations of the people ahead of the historic launch,” a ministry official said.

He said the name should reflect the image of the rocket and the significance of the launch. It should be simple and easy to remember as well.

The winner of the contest, to be announced on April 16, will receive a cash prize of 3 million won.

The two-stage rocket being built jointly by the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute, KARI, and Russia’s space agency can send a 100-kilogram (220-pound) payload into low Earth orbit.

The rocket weighs 140 tons fully loaded with fuel and measures 33 meters (108 feet) in height with a diameter of 2.9 meters.

The first-stage main booster, made by Russia, has 170 tons of thrust while the second-stage rockets manufactured by KARI possess seven tons of thrust.

The nose assembly that will house a small locally-made satellite was also made in Korea.

Yonhap