A reconstructed rocket from the Chosun dynasty took off successfully on Saturday. Dr. Chae Yeon-suk of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute reconstructed the Fire Arrows of Singijeon. Another Chosun rocket, a two-stage rocket like the Naro, the Korea space launch vehicle launched in August, was also introduced. They were part of the Singijeon festival held to celebrate the 60th International Aeronautical Congress in Daejeon.

Korea's first rocket was the Juhwa made at Hwatong Dogam, a government arsenal, by general Choe Mu-seon in 1377, during the latter days of the Koryo Dynasty. It developed four types of Singijeon such as small, medium, large and Sanhwa (which makes flames when blasting) during the 30th year of the reign of King Sejong the Great. Singijeon arrows can fly with the help of gunpowder.

Singijeon arrows are fired from a Hwacha launch cart in Daejeon on Saturday. /Courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute

None of the Juhwa rockets or their blueprints survive, but a Singijeon is detailed in the weapons schematics in "Gukjo Orye Seorye," a book published in 1474.

Chae reconstructed the Singijeon and Hwacha, the launch pad, and succeeded in test-firing Singijeon arrows for the first time during the Daejeon Expo in 1993.

"I studied additional documents this time to reconstruct Singijeon launch pads and arrows in efforts to make them closer to their original type," he said. "I launched arrows from Juhwa, which I reconstructed for the first time based on the small Singijeon launch pad. Singijeon was the top-rate rocket with a millimeter-range accuracy made with modern-style rocket manufacturing techniques. The Sanhwa Singijeon was the world's first two-stage rocket, developed 80 years before Romania developed the Haas rocket in 1529."