Live television footage showed the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) blasting off from the Naro Space Center at 16:00.

 

Shortly after, officials said the launch appeared to have been a success.

 

The operation comes weeks after North Korea used its own three-stage rocket to place a satellite into orbit, sparking international criticism. 

 

South Korea's 140-tonne rocket, known as Naro, was partly built domestically and partly in Russia, which has said it will partner with Seoul for three attempts.

 

Previous launch attempts in 2009 and 2010 failed, and this attempt has been postponed² twice for technical reasons.

 

But officials said Wednesday's launch from the site 480km south of Seoul had gone as planned, Yonhap news agency reports, and that the rocket had reached its target altitude and deployed³ its satellite.

 

"The launch of the rocket itself succeeded," an official told Yonhap. But he said it was not yet possible to determine whether the satellite was in its correct orbit.

 

The satellite, called Science and Technology Satellite-2C, is designed to collect climate data. It is expected to make contact with its ground station at 05:00 on Thursday, at which point its operators will be able to determine whether it is in the right place and functioning properly.

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