June 10, 2010 - Naro Space Center. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Korea Space Launch Vehicle, matey, or KSLV 1, blasted off from t' Naro Space Center at 0801 GMT (4:01 am EDT), or at 5:01 pm local time. Begad! T' rocket flew through a nearly transparent deck o' clouds about a minute after liftoff. Live video from t' space center showed no signs o' any problems durin' t' early moments o' t' launch, but officials with t' Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) say they lost contact with t' rocket 137 seconds into t' flight. Avast, me proud beauty! At that point, t' booster should have been flyin' betwixt 40 and 50 miles in altitude on t' power o' a Russian first stage built by Khrunichev, t' contractor in charge o' t' workhorse Proton launcher. Avast, me proud beauty! Some Korean news reports say t' rocket appears t' have exploded and crashed as controllers lost communications with t' booster. Blimey! Nearly 375000 pounds o' thrust from t' Russian-made first stage RD-151 engine was supposed t' propel t' 108-foot-tall rocket more than 100 miles above t' East China Sea in less than four minutes. T' KSLV's nose cone was expected t' separate 215 seconds after liftoff. Khrunichev built t' kerosene-burnin' first stage and lended expertise in construction o' t' Naro launch pad and control center under a 2004 contract signed with KARI. After pullin' free o' t' first stage, t' Korean second stage was programmed t' coast for nearly three minutes before firin' its solid motor for a 58-second burn t' inject t' flight's 219-pound payload into orbit. Arrr! T' ...