South Korea Prepares To Launch 1st Domestically Produced Space Rocket

South Korea's three-stage KSLV-II NURI rocket stood on its launch pad at the Naro Space Center ahead of its scheduled 5 p.m. (0800 GMT) blast-off.

South Korea is scheduled to conduct its first test launch into space of a domestically built rocket on Thursday in a major step toward jumpstarting the country's space programme.

The three-stage KSLV-II NURI rocket emblazoned with South Korea's flag stood on its launch pad at the Naro Space Center ahead of its scheduled 5 p.m. (0800 GMT) blast-off carrying a dummy satellite.

The NURI, or "world", rocket is designed to put 1.5-ton payloads into orbit 600km to 800km (373 miles-497 miles) above the Earth. South Korea's future plans call for launching surveillance, navigation, and communications satellites, and even lunar probes.

The launch had tentatively been scheduled for an hour earlier, but officials said they faced delays in inspecting valves on the craft. Weather conditions were also being monitored amid reports of high winds in the upper atmosphere.