FACTBOX: South Korea's space program

Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:00am EDT

(Reuters) - South Korea will try again on Tuesday to launch its first space rocket after technical glitches halted the countdown last week minutes before a scheduled lift-off.

Here is a look at South Korea's space program:

FIRST ROCKET

* The rocket planned for launch is called the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or Naro-1.

* Two-stage rocket is 33 meters (108 ft) long, 2.9 meters in diameter, weighs 140 tonnes and can generate 170 tonnes of thrust. It was built at a cost of 502.5 billion won ($400 million), according to the South's Yonhap news agency.

* Russia's Khrunichev space production center built the main thrusters for the first stage and provided technical assistance.

SATELLITES

* South Korea has produced several satellites and relied on help from countries such as Russia to launch them.

* It plans to launch a 100 kg satellite on Naro-1 that will monitor Earth's radiant energy.

* It reached a deal with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries earlier this year to launch an Earth-imaging satellite.

* It plans to be able to eventually build satellites and launch other countries' satellites on its rockets.

SPACE PROGRAMME PLANS

* Aims to build a rocket completely on its own by 2018.

* Build a probe that can orbit Moon by 2025.

* Develop a training program with the air force for Korean space astronauts.

* Work with the U.S. and Japanese space agencies for joint research at the International Space Station.

* Enable South Korean astronauts to participate in advanced countries' manned space projects through long-term international cooperation

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Christine Kim; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)