According to the Ministry of Defense, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the country's homegrown spy satellite lifted off at 8:34 p.m. local time on Nov. 21st from Vandenberg Space Base.

The satellite was sent into orbit at 9:24 p.m. and was able to contact a foreign ground station at 11:30 p.m., a step that confirms the successful launch.

The satellite will carry out surveillance of North Korea after months of testing.

South Korea's first and second spy satellites were launched in the United States in December last year and April this year.

The third satellite is equipped with synthetic aperture radars that capture data using microwaves and can collect data regardless of weather conditions. | BGNES