South Korea gets a free hand to use and develop Solid fuel rocket engine from USA

 South Korea now free to use and develop solid fuel rocket technology

Background

A solid fueled rocket uses an engine with solid propellants.

Meaning the engine uses solid fuel or oxidizers like zinc sulfur propellants or high energy composite propellants for propelling.

Solid fuel rockets are more viable as compared to liquid propellant rockets since rate of degradation of these solid fuel rockets is less as compared to liquid fuel rockets.

When compared to liquid fueled rockets solid fueled rockets are more reliable during launching. But liquid fueled rockets are more efficient and more maneuverable.

Solid fuel rockets is an old technology when compared to liquid fueled rocket technology. 

Due to its more reliability and stability solid fuel rocket systems are used in most military missiles and space rockets.

Image-Inter continental ballistic missile with solid fuel rocket engine

Nowadays due to its lower performance but greater stability solid fueled rockets are still used in militarizes around the world as well as in space rockets in the form of strap on boosters which are detachable in order to increase the payload capacity of the space shuttle.

These solid fuel rockets are also used to lunch light vehicles for low earth orbit payloads which weighs under 2 tonnes.

Using a liquid fueled rocket for launching low earth payloads or light probes is highly inefficient and costly since liquid propellant are used for launching large to medium payload.

  Image-Spacecraft with strap on solid fuel rocket boosters

Solid fuel rocket technology for South Korea

The conflict between North Korea and South Korea is well known to every one by now. 

Due to this Washington had imposed strict restrictions on South Korea over solid fueled rocket technology because if given an free hand in using this technology South Korea could develop bigger missiles and would lead to an arms race in the area. 

But in spite of these restrictions and avoiding escalations North Korea still developed its nuclear capable Inter continental ballistic missiles

And in 2017 alone North Korea carried out testing of Nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missiles three times with a goal of developing a missile

which could reach the American mainland.

Now South Korea has been successful in convincing USA and has won US consent to use solid fuel rocket technology to develop space launch vehicles and develop

missiles with bigger range and strike capability.

Image-Solid fuel rocket engine

Implications

Due to restrictions on South Korea it lags behind the North Korea in field of missile technology and strike capability.

After the removal of restrictions South Korea can now develop its own space launch vehicles and launch satellites for surveillance purposes.

Satellites enable a country to keep and 24 hr unblinking eye on its adversary and proves to be very helpful in the event of an war.

Till now South Korea had launched only one observational satellite into the orbit form its own spacecraft which was built with the help of Russia.

South Korean experts states that South Korea needs at least two to three low earth orbiting satellites to monitor North Korea.

It is a well known fact that the technology used in building rocket fueled spacecrafts is very much similar to missile body and engine technology.

Along with increased  South Korea’s intelligence and reconnaissance capability it will also help South Korea to develop missiles that can fly longer with bigger warheads.

Image-Ballistic missiles rocket engine

But there is one restriction still in effect on South Korea that is it cannot develop missiles with a range more than 800 km or 500 miles. 

For now South Korea doesn't have to think much on that since major cities and commercial areas of the North Korea is located within the range of 800 km form  South Korea's capital  Seoul .