Seoul’s defence ministry stated, ‘South Korea’s second domestically made spy satellite was successfully put into orbit’. It was launched from an American space centre on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
In December, Seoul confirmed the successful launch of its first military spy satellite, which was also carried by one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.
The defence ministry said, ‘Our military’s second reconnaissance satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle at around 09:02 (1202 GMT) and entered the target orbit’.
It further added, ‘We plan to confirm whether the satellite is operating normally through communication with overseas ground stations’.
The latest developments strengthen a space race on the Korean peninsula after the North launched its first military eye in the sky in November last year.
‘The South’s first satellite has transmitted high-resolution images of central Pyongyang to the authorities in Seoul and is expected to start its full mission stages as early as June’, as per Seoul’s Yonhap news agency.
Seoul aims to launch a total of five military spy satellites by 2025 to better monitor the North.
The South Korean military will have the capability to monitor facilities in North Korea using imagery sent around every two hours once all five enter orbit and start their missions’, according to a report by Seoul’s government-run broadcaster KTV
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