A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite takes off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida
Seoul:
South Korea’s first-ever military communications satellite was successfully launched by private operator SpaceX, Seoul said on Tuesday, as it seeks to boost its defense capabilities.
ANASIS-II is intended to strengthen the South’s ability to defend itself against the nuclear-armed North, which invaded in 1950.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite has lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a statement.
SpaceX confirmed the deployment of the satellite approximately 32 minutes after takeoff Monday afternoon local time.
DAPA said the launch made South Korea the 10th country in the world to have a military-only communications satellite, which will provide “permanent and secure military communications.”
The satellite is expected to reach its 36,000 kilometer orbit in two weeks, and the South Korean military will take control of the system in October after testing, he added.
Seoul seeks to bolster its military capabilities as it struggles to end a deal under which, if war breaks out, US commanders will have authority over their combined forces.
The satellite was to “improve the independent operational capabilities of the South Korean military,” a defense ministry official told Yonhap News Agency.
Seoul and Washington are security allies, and the United States has 28,500 troops stationed in the country.
But their relationship has been strained in recent years, sparked by differences in their approaches to Pyongyang and cost-sharing responsibilities.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
