S.Korea confirms indigenous space rocket’s satellite orbit deployment capability

Seoul, June 22 : A South Korean satellite has made two-way communication with its ground station, officials said on Wednesday, confirming the success of the countrys first-ever self-powered satellite deployment project.

South Korea on Tuesday successfully launched the 200-ton Nuri from Naro Space Center in the countrys southern coastal village of Goheung in a "major milestone" in the countrys space program.

The rocket, also known as KSLV-II, succeeded in deploying satellites at a target altitude of 700 km as planned, according to officials.The Ministry of Science and ICT announced a day after the launch that the performance verification satellite successfully made two-way communication with the ground station at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, at 3:01 a.m.Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.The communication follows the satellites initial contact with South Koreas King Sejong Station in Antarctica after the launch on Tuesday.

"Following the two-way communication with the KARI ground station in Daejeon, Nuris satellite deployment capability has been fully confirmed," the ministry said.From the latest communication, KARI verified the satellite was functioning properly with its condition intact.

It also commanded the satellite to sync up its clock with that of the ground station and also activated the satellites GPS transmitter.KARI plans to monitor the satellite and stabilize its position, then release four small cube satellites, which are currently joined to the performance verification satellite, one by one beginning next Wednesday.int/shs #SKorea #confirms #space #rockets #satellite #orbit #Seoul.