S. Korea's multipurpose satellite Arirang 6 to be launched in 4Q by European rocket

SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will launch a multipurpose satellite in the fourth quarter of this year using a European space rocket, the science ministry said Wednesday.

The Korea Multipurpose Satellite 6, known as the Arirang 6, was originally planned to be launched on Russia's Angara 1.2 vehicle last year from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia.

But the plan was scrapped due to the international community's sanctions on Moscow over the Ukrainian invasion.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said it has canceled a contract with Russia last month and picked the Vega-C rocket co-developed by the European Space Agency for the new space launch provider through an international auction.

But the actual launch is expected to take place in the fourth quarter, as Vega-C is now under investigation for its launch failure in December, said the ministry.

On top of that, the ministry said it is working on rescheduling the launch of a next-generation midsized observational satellite, which was scheduled to be aboard Russia's Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

It is forecast to launch the satellite in the first half of next year if the launch provider is selected in March as planned.

brk@yna.co.kr
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