A panel set up by the government to investigate the partial failure of the nation's first rocket launch in August has narrowed down the possible reasons as to why the satellite missed its target orbit.

The panel on Thursday presented two possibilities for the failure. The first possibility is that the explosives used to separate the two fairings from the rocket failed to detonate on time. Another possibility is that the explosives detonated on time some 216 seconds after blastoff, but unexplained mechanical problems caused one fairing to separate belatedly at 540 seconds.