A SpaceX rocket carrying a South Korean spy satellite took off from the US state of California on Friday, nearly two weeks after North Korea launched its own military spy satellite, France Presse and Agerpres reported.

If successfully launched, the South Korean satellite will monitor the military activities of the nuclear-armed North Korea. South Korea has tried twice this year to put military monitoring satellites into orbit, but both failed.

South Korea’s new satellite was launched by a Falcon 9 rocket that launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. As part of the same mission, other satellites of other customers are also transported.

By the end of 2025, South Korea plans to launch four more satellites.

The satellite, launched on Friday, will be placed in low Earth orbit and will be able to detect objects up to 30 centimeters on the ground. South Korea has so far relied on US spy satellites to monitor Pyongyang’s military activities.

After last week’s launch of North Korea’s Malligyong-1 satellite, which Seoul said was also carried out with help from Russia, Pyongyang said it had since been able to monitor key targets in the US and South Korea with its help, but has not released images. .

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