South Korea's second military spy satellite has been launched from a U.S. space center. 

The satellite was launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, at 7:17 p.m. Sunday local time, or 8:17 a.m. Monday South Korean time on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

The satellite, if put into orbit successfully, will have its first communication with a ground station about 50 minutes after liftoff. 

The launch is part of the 425 Project under which Korea plans to launch five spy satellites by 2025 to bolster its independent surveillance capabilities. 

The first spy satellite was launched into orbit from a U.S. Space Force base in California on a SpaceX rocket last December.

The second military spy satellite is equipped with synthetic aperture radar(SAR) sensors capable of collecting data regardless of weather conditions, unlike the first equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors.  

The ministry plans to launch three more reconnaissance satellites also equipped with SAR sensors by 2025.