SpaceX launches South Korea's 5th spy satellite

The Falcon 9 successfully launched as scheduled at 1.09 am Sunday (0609GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the ministry said.

“On board this mission are 18 payloads for KOREA ADD, Exolaunch, Fergani, Tomorrow Companies Inc., Starcloud, and Vast,” SpaceX said on US social media company X, both companies owned by billionaire Elon Musk.

The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite is the fifth and final military satellite to be launched as part of the nation's plan to deploy five reconnaissance satellites by the end of this year.

This move aims to enhance monitoring of North Korea and reduce dependence on US satellite imagery, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.

"Operating a total of five reconnaissance satellites in a cluster will enable a faster and more accurate detection of signs of North Korea's provocations," the ministry said in an earlier press release.

With five satellites in orbit, Seoul is expected to be able to monitor North Korea every two hours.

In December 2023, South Korea deployed its inaugural spy satellite, outfitted with electro-optical and infrared sensors for high-resolution imaging. Since then, it has launched three additional satellites, each equipped with SAR sensors, enabling data collection under all weather conditions.