South Korea launches reconnaissance satellite amid deteriorating situation with northern neighbour

The South Korean Ministry of Defence has announced that SpaceX has launched their reconnaissance satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here's What We Know

This is South Korea's second reconnaissance satellite, and it is equipped with a modern synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that allows it to create images regardless of weather conditions.

The Falcon 9 rocket was launched on Sunday at 01:17 EET, and the satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle 45 minutes later and entered its target orbit. It established successful communication with the ground station approximately two hours and forty minutes after launch.

It is worth noting that North Korea has previously promised to launch three new reconnaissance satellites in 2024.

Source: Reuters