South Korea's new science satellite launched Thursday from a Russian site made radio contact, confirming its successful deployment in space, South Korean developers of the satellite said.
Officials from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said beacon signals from the Korea Multipurpose Satellite-3A (KOMSAT-3A) were picked up by Norway's Troll Satellite Station in Antarctica at 7:40 a.m. KST, or about 32 minutes after the launch.
The satellite is expected to make its first contact with South Korea's own ground station at 1:05 a.m., or 5 hours, 56 minutes after its launch, according to the officials.
The KOMSAT-3A lifted off at 3:08 a.m. (7:08 a.m. KST) from the Yasny launch base, located some 1,800 kilometers southeast of Moscow.
The 1,100-kilogram satellite was sent into space on a Russian rocket, Dnepr, a launch vehicle converted from a Soviet-era intercontinental ballistic missile.
Real-time observation of the launch was unavailable as the Russian launch pad remains completely off-limits to public access.
The science satellite is designed to complement South Korea's three other multipurpose science satellites that are currently operational.
The KOMSAT-3A is equipped with an optical lens with the highest resolution so far on any South Korean satellite that can provide clear images of any object greater than 0.5 meter in diameter on the Earth's surface.
It is also equipped with an infrared sensor that can detect changes in temperature, enabling it to monitor any volcanic movements or forest fires.
Together with the KOMSAT-5, the country's first science satellite with synthetic aperture radar launched in August 2013, the new satellite will help enable 24-hour monitoring of the Earth's surface regardless of weather conditions, KARI officials said.
The KOMSAT-3A will circle the Earth approximately 15 times a day in a synchronous orbit for the next four years.
South Korea is moving to develop its own space launch vehicle for a test launch in 2019. (Yonhap)