South Korea successfully launches 3rd domestically developed spy satellite into orbit

South Korea successfully launched its third domestically developed spy satellite into orbit on Saturday, with the mission carried out from a U.S. space center, according to the country’s defence ministry.

According to Yonhap News Agency a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite succesfully lauched at 8:34 p.m. (Korean time) from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as scheduled, and placed the reconnaissance satellite into orbit at 9:24 p.m.

The satellite successfully established communication with an overseas ground station at 11:30 p.m., in a step indicating the satellite’s normal operation, further added in a report.

This is the third military satellite launched under as part of South Korea’s initiative to deploy five spy satellites by 2025. Until now, the country has heavily relied on satellite imagery from the United States.