No fly zone in 6 provinces over SoKor rocket launch

MANILA, Philippines - The government will implement a “no-fly zone” and “no sail zone” in areas along the expected path of another South Korean rocket to be launched on Oct. 26.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Benito Ramos said the ban would cover provinces in the Bicol region, Samar, Leyte, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.

“Our concern is to prepare for possible harm against the debris. Our concern is the safety of the Filipino people,” Ramos said.

He said fishermen and maritime vessels would not be allowed to venture into the sea from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., during which South Korea is expected to launch the rocket.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is expected to advise airlines to divert flights that would pass through the rocket’s path.

The agency, however, has yet to determine how many flights would be affected by the launch, which was intended to put into space a satellite for scientific research.

The “exclusion zone” covers a 600-kilometer by 400-kilometer area 540 nautical miles east of the Philippine eastern seaboard.

Local governments are expected to alert their constituents about the rocket launch to prevent casualties.

“We do not see any nuclear or radioactive material in this missile. But there may be more hazards from the fire or the explosion,” Teofilo Leonin, chief of the regulations division of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), said.

Ramos said it is “highly unlikely but probable” that the debris of the rocket would make a landfall. He said public hospitals would be on standby to provide the medical needs of those who may be affected by the debris.

If the launch does not push through on Oct. 26, South Korea may hold it anytime from Oct. 27 to 31.

Ramos noted that it would be the third time Seoul would try to launch the Science and Technology Satellite-2 aboard Korea Space Launch Vehicle-I . The rocket will originate from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do.

South Korea tried but failed to launch the satellite in 2009 and 2010.