After North Korea, South Korea also launched its first spy satellite outside

The spy satellite was sent into space from California on Friday morning at 10:19 a.m. local time (7:19 p.m.) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch can be followed via images from the space company. SpaceX stopped this broadcast shortly after launch, without showing images of the payload in space.

The satellite should now enter the correct orbit around Earth. Once operational, the plane must monitor the activities of the communist northern neighbors. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the space machine can detect an object no larger than 30 centimetres. Seoul plans to launch four additional satellites by the end of 2025.

To monitor North Korea’s (military) activities – where the regime also has nuclear weapons – South Korea has so far relied on US spy satellites, explains Choi Ji-il, a professor at Sangji University. According to the expert, Seoul has already launched a military communications satellite, but due to technical obstacles, it took longer than expected before a spy satellite was also launched. But after the North Korean launch, “the South Korean government also had to prove its ability.”

North Korea is now bragging about the results of its Malligyong-1 missile. According to Pyongyang, the satellite can take pictures of the White House, the Pentagon, and nearby military sites. However, the photos have not been released to the public. Two previous attempts by North Korea to launch such a satellite had failed. According to Seoul, North Korea has now received technical assistance from Russia.

The SpaceX rocket also carried other satellites from other customers.