Cape Canaveral: South Korea successfully launched its fourth homegrown military spy satellite from a U.S. space base in Florida, the defense ministry said Tuesday, in efforts to strengthen its independent surveillance capabilities on North Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the spy satellite, lifted off at 8:48 p.m. Monday (U.S. time) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as planned and placed the satellite into orbit at 9:03 p.m., 15 minutes after liftoff, according to the ministry.
The launched satellite succeeded in communicating with an overseas ground station at 11:27 p.m., indicating the satellite's normal operation.
"This is anticipated to reinforce the grouped operation of the satellites, alongside the three satellites in normal operation, and enhance capabilities to detect signs of North Korea's provocations," the ministry said in a notice.
The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite is the fourth military satellite launched under South Korea's plan to deploy five spy satellites by the end of this year to better monitor North Korea and help reduce its reliance on U.S. satellite imagery.
South Korea launched its first spy satellite in December 2023, equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors capable of capturing detailed images. It launched two more last year with SAR sensors that collect data regardless of weather conditions.
South Korea aims to launch the fifth satellite, which will be equipped with SAR sensors, later this year. Once all five satellites are placed in orbit, the country is expected to be able to monitor North Korea every two hours.