Enlarge image
Launch of the South Korean »Nuri« rocket
Photo: YONHAP/POOL/EPA
South Korea's first self-developed space rocket has launched into space.
The launch of the satellite launcher, known as Nuri, appeared to be "going according to plan" Tuesday, a commentator said during the televised broadcast.
The rocket with 200 tons of fuel took off from the "Naro Space Center" on an island off the south coast of the country in the morning.
After that, as planned, a dummy satellite detached itself from the rocket, according to the South Korean broadcaster YTN.
The test "appears to be a success," it said.
South Korea's Science Minister Lee Jong-ho later said the launch had been successful.
This would make his country the tenth country on earth that could launch a satellite under its own power.
In October, a first test flight of the rocket failed.
The three-stage "Nuri" rocket had reached its intended altitude of 600 kilometers within a few minutes.
However, she did not succeed in bringing the one and a half ton dummy satellite into orbit as planned.
Long preliminary work
The development of the three-stage rocket took around a decade and cost the equivalent of around 1.46 billion euros.
In Asia, Japan, China and India already have advanced space programs.
North Korea, which is an enemy of South Korea, succeeded in 2012 in putting a 300-kilogram satellite into orbit.
To date, there is no evidence that it worked.
The South Korean space program has already suffered several setbacks: two launches failed in 2009 and 2010, and in 2010 the rocket exploded two minutes after launch.
A launch was successful in 2013, albeit with a Russian engine as the first propulsion stage.
For South Korea, rocket technology can be of interest, among other things, for setting up a space-based warning system.
Neighboring North Korea is developing and regularly testing nuclear weapons and launchers.
In principle, the South Korean missile - like any other - could also be used to transport weapons.
However, the government in Seoul said the space program was purely for civilian purposes.
chs/AFP