The government has decided that if this third launch ends in failure, the Naro
project will be terminated, although it has already given approval for a new
generation of space vehicles. Work is under way on a new rocket, capable of
carrying a satellite weighing up to 1.5 tons into orbit, that will be
operational by 2021.
Success on Friday would also put Seoul one up over Pyongyang. In April, North
Korea fired what it claims was a multi-stage rocket carrying a satellite as
part of celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim
Il-sung, the founder of the nation.
The rocket – which neighbouring nations insist was a ballistic missile –
suffered a failure in its third stage separation and fell into the sea
between the Korean peninsula and Japan about a minute after the launch.