*Seoul, Dec 2:* South Korea achieved a significant milestone by successfully launching its inaugural military spy satellite from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This marks a crucial advancement in South Korea’s efforts to establish space-based intelligence capabilities, particularly in response to escalating threats from North Korea, as reported by the Defence Ministry on Saturday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The satellite’s launch on Friday is emblematic of a growing security rivalry between the two Koreas, especially in the realm of space-based technology. Last week, North Korea declared success in its own spy satellite launch, underscoring the intensifying competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Defence Ministry confirmed that the South Korean satellite was placed in orbit around four minutes after liftoff at 10:19 a.m. It successfully established communication with a ground station at 11:37 a.m., indicating normal operation. South Korea’s space strategy involves deploying four more synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites by 2025, following the launch of this electro-optical and infrared (EO\/IR) satellite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This initiative aims to enhance surveillance capabilities, particularly regarding North Korea. The recent developments are expected to contribute to a space arms race between the two Koreas. North Korea, having launched its first spy satellite on November 21, has vowed to conduct more launches in a short period, emphasizing the geopolitical tension in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
*Seoul, Dec 2:* South Korea achieved a significant milestone by successfully launching its inaugural military spy satellite from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This marks a crucial advancement in South Korea’s efforts to establish space-based intelligence capabilities, particularly in response to escalating threats from North Korea, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,267],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-tech"],"yoast_head":"\n