Anchor: SpaceX has successfully launched South Korea's first military satellite from a U.S. Air Force base in Florida. Once it is operational, the satellite is expected to remove communication blind spots for the South Korean military.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report:
[Sound bite: Launch of Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Anasis-II satellite (June 20 / Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, US)]
"... three, two, one, zero... lift off."
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Monday at 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time.
[Sound bite: Launch of Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Anasis-II satellite (June 20 / Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, US)]
"We are now beginning to chill on the turbo pump on the upper stage engine to get ready for its ignition, coming up in about forty-five seconds."
Perched atop the rocket was South Korea's first military communications satellite, the Anasis-II. Some 29 minutes after the launch, the payload was released from the launch vehicle.
The Anasis-II will reach its orbit of some 36-thousand kilometers in about eight days. The satellite will then be tested for three months before it is handed over to the South Korean military.
The satellite features advanced anti-jamming systems and increased information processing speed and communication distance.
Defense officials said the new equipment will remove communication blind spots for the military, which is working on creating a satellite communication network.
The satellite, manufactured by European aerospace firm Airbus Space and Defense, is part of an offset package for South Korea's purchase of 40 F-35A fighters.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.