South Korea successfully launches second military spy satellite into orbit

Days after North Korea declared its goal to launch several spy satellites this year, South Korea has successfully launched its second spying satellite.  

According to the National Ministry of Defense of South Korea, the satellite was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States, and it entered orbit. 

The successful launch, according to a statement from Seoul's military, "has further strengthened" its "independent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities."  

"Future satellite launches will go off without a hitch," it stated.  

According to the statement, the Falcon 9 rocket was launched at 23:17 GMT, and 45 minutes later, the satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle and entered its planned orbit.  

It made successful communications with a ground station about two hours and 40 minutes after the launch, the ministry added. 

South Korea, which plans to launch a total of five military spy satellites by 2025, is in a race with North Korea to expand its surveillance capabilities amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang launched its first spy satellite Malligyong-1 in November last year in its third attempt, while South Korea put its satellite into orbit the following month. 

North Korea has since said its satellite had transmitted imagery of key sites in the US, including the White House and the Pentagon, but has not released any of the photos. 

North Korea's National Aerospace Technology Administration vice general director, Pak Kyong Su, stated on March 31 that the nation planned to launch many more reconnaissance satellites this year. As previously stated, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to launch three more military spy satellites into orbit by the year 2024.  

The first of those launches might happen as early as next week, according to South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik, who made the announcement on Monday in honor of state founder Kim Il Sung's birthday, April 15. The Day of the Sun festival is commonly observed with military parades and large-scale events. 

The United Nations has put sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program, and these measures are believed to be violated by North Korean satellite launches because they make use of banned ballistic missile technology.