S Korea launches space rocket carrying satellite

DHAKA: South Korea has launched a rocket in its third attempt to place a satellite into space.

Live television footage showed the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) blasting off from the Naro Space Center at 16:00 (07:00 GMT), reports the BBC.

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 postponed 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 deployed 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.

BDST: 1431 HRS, JAN 28, 2013
Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor- eic@banglanews24.com