S. Korean Rocket Fails to Put Satellite Into Orbit

South Korea's first space rocket successfully lifted off from the country's launch pad on the southern coast Tuesday but failed to put a scientific satellite into the target orbit, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said.

The rocket, called the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), soared into the sky at 5 p.m. from the Naro Space Center and had to separate from a scientific satellite at an altitude of 306 km. Instead, the rocket separated at an altitude of 340 km.

It means that the rocket launch has been a partial failure, researchers said.

Mission controllers said the first contact with the satellite will take place 11 to 13 hours after the liftoff.