ROK launches its 1st spy satellite a week after DPRK spacecraft put into use

South Korea successfully launched its first military spy satellite from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is part of a contract with SpaceX to deploy five spy satellites by 2025. The satellite, described as a key component of South Korea’s independent space-based surveillance system, aims to enhance military capabilities, particularly in preemptive missile strikes. This marks a significant development as South Korea previously relied on U.S. spy satellites to monitor North Korea. The successful launch follows North Korea’s recent placing of its own reconnaissance satellite into orbit. Despite claims by North Korea that its satellite has transmitted imagery of key sites in the U.S. and South Korea, no photos have been released. Tensions escalated as North Korea’s Defense Ministry threatened to take action against U.S. spy satellites, considering it a declaration of war, in response to comments by an unspecified U.S. Space Command official hinting at a potential attack on the North Korean satellite.

Source – CGTN