A nanosatellite designed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KAIST) was launched into orbit Friday.

The NEONSAT-1A, a cutting-edge Earth observation satellite, lifted off aboard U.S. space company Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 2:21 p.m. local time, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration.

Rocket Lab verified that the satellite successfully separated from the rocket about 54 minutes after the launch to a low Earth orbit.

The NEONSAT-1A will test the capabilities of the South Korean government’s future constellation of NEONSAT satellites to monitor natural disasters and national security events along the Korean Peninsula.

It is the second among a total of 11 nanosatellites that will form a constellation of satellites aimed at monitoring and taking images of the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding regions.

The first satellite of this constellation undertaken by KAIST, NEONSAT-1, was deployed by Rocket Lab in 2024.