With just minutes to go before liftoff, South Korean engineers postponed the launch of the country's first space-bound rocket. The delay comes as a disappointment to many who looked forward to the launch as a milestone of national pride.
韩国计划发射其首枚太空火箭前几分钟，工程人员决定推迟发射。很多期待这次能增进国家自豪感的里程碑火箭发射的人感到失望。
Excitement was mounting Wednesday at South Korea's Naro Space Center, as the time to launch dropped below eight minutes. Then, at seven minutes and 56 seconds, the digital clock froze because technicians decided not to proceed.
韩国罗老宇航中心星期三预定火箭发射时间临近之际，激动气氛不断上涨，直到还剩不到8分钟的时间。倒数计时的数字表定格在7分56秒。工程技术人员决定推迟发射。
Lee Sang-mok, a policy director at South Korea's Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, says South Korea's first indigenous space mission will have to wait.
韩国教育科学技术部的政策主任李相睦说，韩国第一枚国产火箭的发射不得不推迟。
He says a pressure valve on one of the rocket's fuel tanks showed a drop. He explains that a joint Russian and Korean team of engineers are conducting a thorough technical analysis.
他说，火箭燃料箱的一个压力阀显示压力降低。他说，俄罗斯和韩国工程技术人员组成的一个小组正在进行全面技术分析。
South Korea teamed up with Russia to spend more than $400 million on the 33-meter tall rocket, known as the Korea Space Launch Vehicle, or KSLV-1. It will carry a communications satellite into low-earth orbit.
韩国与俄罗斯合作制造了这枚耗资4亿美元、33米长的火箭。这枚韩国航天运载器将把一枚通讯卫星送入地球低轨轨道。
Lee says the Russian technicians think another launch attempt could be made within several days. He says an exact date will be set after Wednesday's difficulties are more precisely understood.
李相睦说，俄罗斯技术人员认为火箭可以在几天后发射。他说，在对星期三的故障有更明确的了解之后将确定具体发射日期。
South Korean officials had earlier considered delaying Wednesday's mission, out of respect for former President Kim Dae-jung, who died Tuesday. That idea was set aside because of the strong logistical momentum behind the launch.
韩国官员早些时候曾考虑推迟星期三的火箭发射，以向星期二去世的前总统金大中表示敬意。由于已经为发射进行了大量准备，这个想法没有实施。
Many South Koreans view the launch in terms of national pride, as a milestone of the country's progress in its indigenous space program. The $250-million launch facility where the rocket was set to lift off is being set as the stage for an ambitious space program, including long-range plans to land South Korean probes on the moon.
很多韩国人把这次火箭发射与国家自豪感联系在一起，视其为韩国独立太空开发努力中的一个里程碑。韩国斥资2亿5千万美元建造了这次火箭将升空的发射中心。发射设施是韩国雄心勃勃的太空项目的一部分，包括将来把韩国探测器送上月球表面的长远计划。
South Korea's launch plans have drawn comparisons to North Korea's April launch of a long-range rocket, which Pyongyang says was part of its peaceful space research. South Korea, the United States and Japan expressed fears the launch was a thinly veiled test of North Korea's offensive ballistic missile program.
有人把韩国火箭发射计划同北韩4月的远程火箭相比较。北韩称那次发射是其和平太空开发项目的一部分。韩国、美国和日本担心，北韩发射火箭是在掩饰之下研制进攻型弹道导弹。
Park Jung-ju, director of the KSLV Systems Office, says there are major differences between the North and South launches.
负责韩国航天运载器项目的官员说，北韩和韩国的火箭发射有重大区别。
He says South Korea's launch plans have been transparent to the public, unlike in North Korea. For South Korea, he says, the launch itself is the goal - not developing weapons systems. Park says comparing South Korea's launch with the North's is "inappropriate."
他说，与北韩的火箭发射不同，韩国的发射计划始终对公众保持透明。他说，对韩国来说，火箭发射本身就是目标，不是开发武器系统，因此把韩国的火箭发射与北韩的活动相提并论“不妥”。 |