5th spy satellite successfully put into orbit

South Korea's fifth homegrown military spy satellite, launched from a US space base in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, successfully entered orbit, the defense ministry said Sunday, in a move expected to bolster its independent surveillance capabilities, Report informs via Yonhap.

The Falcon 9 lifted off at 1:09 a.m. Sunday (GMT-5) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as planned and placed the reconnaissance satellite into orbit about 14 minutes after liftoff, according to the ministry.

The ministry later confirmed that the satellite succeeded in communicating with a ground station about an hour after takeoff, in an indication of the satellite's normal operation.

The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite is the fifth and final military satellite launched under the country's plan to deploy five spy satellites by the end of this year to better monitor North Korea and help reduce its reliance on US satellite imagery.

"With the latest launch, (the military) will be able to build independent capabilities to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance in all weather conditions across the Korean Peninsula by operating the satellites in a cluster," the ministry said in a notice.

The first three satellites have been fully deployed while the fourth satellite is undergoing operational evaluation.

The ministry said the military will seek to further develop its space capabilities by pushing for the launch of small-sized satellites and securing launch pads and rockets.

"Operating a total of five reconnaissance satellites in a cluster will enable a faster and more accurate detection of signs of North Korea's provocations," the ministry earlier said in a release, anticipating the satellites will help bolster the military's three-axis deterrence structure.

Once all five satellites are fully deployed, the country is expected to be able to monitor North Korea every two hours.