First Stage of New South Korean Rocket Completed in Russia

Officials at the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, in Moscow, announce that the first stage of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle #1 (KSLV-1) rocket has been completed, and is currently en route to South Korea.

The component was successfully assembled and tested, and will soon be mated with the other rocket components, at a facility near its launch site, at the Naro Space Center, SpaceRef reports.

According to the intergovernmental agreement between South Korea and Russia, the first stage of the KSLV-1 is assembled at Khrunichev, while the second stage and the payload are built and tested in South Korea. The two countries have been cooperating in peaceful space exploration since October 2004.

The Asian nation already launched two rockets, KSLV-1 and KSLV-2, in 2009 and 2010, respectively.