South Korea successfully launched its spy satellite. This happened thanks to the Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX. The country hopes to become less dependent on American espionage to monitor North Korea.
The northern neighbors also launched a spy satellite a week and a half ago.
The South Korean satellite was launched on Friday evening at 7:19 pm (Dutch time). The satellite entered orbit shortly after, Yonhap News Agency reported. More than an hour later, satellite communication became possible, which the South Korean Defense Ministry said indicated that “everything is working properly.”
According to Yonhap, the spy satellite flies at an altitude of about 400 to 500 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Thanks to the advanced technology on board, an object with a diameter of 30 cm can be detected on the ground. South Korea wants to launch four more satellites before the end of 2025.
The North Korean satellite caused a lot of buzz last week. For example, Pyongyang claimed that it had already taken photos of the White House, the Pentagon, Rome, and a US aircraft carrier. Then America imposed sanctions on North Korea.