In the picture: A handout photo made available by the SpaceX via South Korea Defense Ministry shows a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying South Korea`s first military spy satellite lifting off from the US Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, 01 December 2023
South Korea will send its second military spy satellite into space from the United States on April 7, the Defense Ministry confirmed, as Seoul seeks to better monitor and counter Pyongyang.
Press reports that the launch will take place in the US on April 7 are "correct", a Defense Department spokesman said, adding that further details would be released next week.
The announcement, which comes after South Korea confirmed in December last year the successful launch of its first military spy satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space X, the company owned by Elon Musk, reflects the intensification of the space race on the Korean peninsula.
The South Korean spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, also aboard a Space X Falcon 9 rocket.
Seoul's first satellite has delivered high-resolution images of central Pyongyang to authorities, and its main mission is due to begin in June, according to Yonhap news agency.
South Korea wants to launch a total of 5 spy satellites by 2025 to better monitor the North.
Once the satellites enter orbit and begin their mission, the South Korean military will be able to spy on key infrastructure in North Korea through their targets every two hours, according to state broadcaster KTV.
For its part, North Korea claims that its own satellite is in orbit and that it has sent images of the US base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as well as "key targets" in South Korea.
Pyongyang succeeded in sending its Malygyon-1 device into space after two failed attempts in May and August 2023.
According to Seoul, the North received aid from Russia in exchange for arms supplies for Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Experts believe that this successful operation will allow North Korean intelligence to improve intelligence gathering on South Korea in particular and have vital data for any conflict. /BGNES
