South Korea has confirmed the successful placement of its inaugural military reconnaissance satellite into orbit following a prosperous SpaceX rocket launch.
The nation’s defense ministry reported the establishment of communication with ground control.
Seoul’s reconnaissance satellite, carried by Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, heightens the space race on the Korean peninsula after North Korea recently launched its own initial military satellite.
South Korea’s defense ministry affirmed on Saturday that its satellite achieved orbit shortly after the SpaceX rocket adorned with “KOREA” took off from the Vandenberg US Space Force Base in California at 10:19 am local time (1819 GMT) on Friday.
“The satellite was launched 0319 Seoul time and was successfully separated from projectile 11 minutes later and put into targeted orbital trajectory,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We have confirmed its communications with the ground command.”
Achieving orbit signifies South Korea’s possession of its inaugural domestically developed spy satellite dedicated to monitoring nuclear-armed North Korea.
Seoul intends to launch four more spy satellites by the conclusion of 2025 to enhance its reconnaissance capabilities specifically aimed at observing North Korea.
Planned to orbit within a range of 400 to 600 kilometers (250 to 370 miles) above Earth, the South Korean satellite possesses the capability to detect objects as small as 30 centimeters (11.8 inches), as reported by the Yonhap news agency.
