South Korea successfully launched its Nuri rocket early Thursday, placing more than a dozen satellites into orbit.

According to the Korea AeroSpace Administration(KASA) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute(KARI), the rocket lifted off from the Naro Space Center in the southwestern county of Goheung at 1:13 a.m., after its original 12:55 a.m. launch was delayed due to a sensor issue.

KARI confirmed that the rocket placed a medium-sized science satellite and 12 microsatellites into orbit at an altitude of about 600 kilometers.

KASA announced that the primary satellite had established contact with a South Korean ground station in Antarctica about 40 minutes after liftoff and that normal operations, including the deployment of its solar panels, had been verified.

The 12 microsatellites will contact ground stations in turn according to their communication schedules.

The event marked the country’s first joint launch with a private company, with Hanwha Aerospace overseeing the entire assembly process.