Watch live as South Korea launches its first military spy satellite, from the Vandenberg US Space Force Base in California on Friday 1 December 2023.
It comes just over a week after rival North Korea claimed to put their own spy satellite into orbit for the first time on 22 November. South Korea’s military had warned North Korea not to go ahead with its launch, and doing so cause the partial suspension of a peace treaty between the two.
South Korea’s launch was originally scheduled for Thursday 30 November but was postponed due to weather conditions, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.
The reconnaissance satellite will be carried by one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. A contract between SpaceX and South Korea will see the country launch five spy satellites with the company by 2025.
South Korea has often resorted to using US spy satellites to monitor activity by North Korea, as they have none of their own currently.
