Delay

We were all set to perform our first engine test on Thursday next week, then yesterday, suddenly someone noticed some really nasty welding problems with the main propellant feed lines. The pipes and fittings were all provided by a subcontractor that was thought to be reliable. They are taking the problem seriously though. No less than 5 of them arrived at the test site at 7:00am and promised to have the problem fixed by 5pm today!

Meanwhile since the engine controller system is mostly complete, I am finding myself suddenly with no urgent tasks to work on, until the engine test system is complete. It's somewhat like being in the eye of a hurricane.

If you are wondering what all the hurry is about, the reason is that for marketing reasons we are trying to move the test date forward to next week if at all possible. Additionally the test will also be used for publicity purposes with representatives from all the (Korean) national media stations present. Frankly, this is a bit of a gamble, since we are testing a new engine using our own brand new facilities. We are depending on the heritage of the engine, with the mixing head and turbopump design both being in common with the previous engine that was successfully tested.

The official test date is now Friday next week. I'll keep posting any significant news.