South Korea launches 2nd military spy satellite from Kennedy Space Center

Home > National > Defense

South Korea launches 2nd military spy satellite from Kennedy Space Center

Published: 08 Apr. 2024, 09:12 Updated: 08 Apr. 2024, 10:04

SARAH KIM
kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr

South Korea's second spy satellite ahead of liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday. [DEFENSE MINISTRY]

South Korea launched its second homegrown military spy satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from a U.S. space center in Florida Sunday.

The Falcon 9 lifted off at 7:17 p.m. on Sunday from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry, and sent the satellite into orbit approximately 45 minutes after the launch at 8:02 p.m.

This marks the second military satellite launched under South Korea's plan to acquire five reconnaissance satellites by 2025 to strengthen its surveillance capabilities and better monitor the North.

Last December, South Korea launched its first spy satellite into orbit from the U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX rocket.

The latest satellite was equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors capable of capturing data using microwaves and able to collect data regardless of weather conditions. The first satellite had been equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors.