Article Posted on : - Jan 30, 2013

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 launch. A Yonhap photo.

SEOUL (BNS): South Korea on Wednesday successfully launched it's first-ever space rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), also known as Naro.

The Naro, built in partnership with Russia, was launched at 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency quoting Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Lee Ju-ho, said.

The rocket launch on Wednesday was South Korea's third attempt to join the global space club after its two earlier attempts in 2009 and 2010 ended in failures.

According to officials from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the Science and Technology Satellite-2C began transmitting beacon signals soon after its deployment, which was received by a ground station in Norway about 90 minutes after the launch, it said.

The report said a final confirmation will be available on Thursday when the satellite makes its first contact with the country's own ground station at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon.

The satellite carried by the launch vehicle is mainly intended for gathering climate data and other atmospheric information, according to reports.

With this launch on Wednesday, South Korea is now among the group of nations that have sent a rocket into space from their own soil. Others countries include the United States, Russia, China, Japan, France, India, Israel, Iran and North Korea.