A space vehicle carrying South Korea's first homegrown military reconnaissance satellite has been erected on a launch pad at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the U.S. state of California.

According to Seoul's defense ministry on Friday, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket loaded with the satellite is standing on the pad for a final round of inspections before it is launched in the early hours of Saturday, Korea Standard Time.

The California-based spacecraft manufacturer and launch service provider SpaceX said the rocket is scheduled for lift-off at 10:19 a.m. Friday, Pacific Time, or 3:19 a.m. Saturday in South Korea. A livestream of the launch on X will start 15 minutes prior.

The satellite project was launched in 2018 with the intent to reinforce the military’s surveillance and response capabilities against North Korea's key strategic targets.

The ministry plans to launch four additional satellites through 2025.