South Korea unveils homegrown space rocket for first time

South Korea unveiled Tuesday a fully assembled model of its homegrown space rocket for the first time since the country started its development in 2010 as it conducts final testing procedures before its launch later this year, Yonhap News Agency reports.

South Korea has earmarked 2 trillion won (US$1.8 billion) to develop its first homegrown space launch vehicle, named Nuri, and aims for a launch in October this year. In 2013, South Korea successfully launched its first-ever Naro space rocket, though its first stage rocket was built in Russia.

An assembled qualification model of the Nuri has been transported and erected on its launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 473 kilometers south of Seoul, and will undergo testing over one month, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The testing will cover procedures such as the charging of the rocket's fuel tanks and the separation from the launch pad, which was also developed with South Korean technology.