Falcon 9, the rocket of the U.S. company SpaceX carrying Korea's fifth reconnaissance satellite, is launched on Nov. 2 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Ministry of National Defense)

By Charles Audouin

Falcon 9, the rocket of the U.S. company Space X carrying Korea's fifth reconnaissance satellite, was launched on Nov. 2 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The Ministry of National Defense in Seoul that day announced that the satellite separated from its launch vehicle 14 minutes after liftoff and entered its target orbit. Communication with the ground station was also confirmed 60 minutes after launch.

Designed to detect signs of any nuclear or missile provocation by North Korea and monitor strategic targets in deep areas of the North, the satellite is the last of those in the 425 Project, a venture for the military to acquire reconnaissance satellites. It has the same synthetic aperture radar as satellites Nos. 2-4 to capture ultra-high-resolution images in any weather.

The ministry and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the launch will secure a key asset that forms the basis for the nation's three axis system in greatly reinforcing the military's kill chain capacity.

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back emphasized the significance of the launch, saying "Due to the successful launch of the fifth satellite, the military has gained more sophisticated and sharper eyes, a core element of the kill chain system, and we completed development of our independent capability to monitor and surveil the entire Korean Peninsula around the clock regardless of weather."

caudouin@korea.kr