Photo gallery: S. Korea launches third bid to join global space club
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The Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) takes off from its launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 350km south of Seoul on Jan 30, 2013. South Korea launched a rocket on Jan 30 in its third bid to put a satellite in orbit - a high-stakes challenge to national pride after rival North Korea succeeded in the same mission last month. -- PHOTO: AFP/YONHAP
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The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) or Naro, South Korea's space rocket is launched on the launch pad at Naro Space Centre in Goheung, about 485km south of Seoul Jan 30, 2013, in this picture take by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. -- PHOTO: REUTERS/KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
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The Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) takes off from its launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 350km south of Seoul on Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AFP/YONHAP
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South Koreans watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-JE
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South Koreans watch a live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-J
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South Koreans watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-JE
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South Koreans cheer as they watch a television broadcast of the country's first rocket launch at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AP/LEE JIN-MAN
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People watch a public TV reporting the country's rocket launch, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AP/LEE JIN-MAN
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South Koreans watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set (not pictured) at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 0700 GMT (3pm Singapore time) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-J
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South Koreans react as they watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set (not pictured) at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 0700 GMT (3pm Singapore time) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-J
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People watch a public TV reporting the country's first rocket launch at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AP/LEE JIN-MAN
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A couple watch a television report broadcasting the launch of South Korea's space rocket Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) or Naro at Naro Space Centre in Goheung, about 485km south of Seoul, at a train station in Seoul Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS/LEE JAE-WON
The Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) takes off from its launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 350km south of Seoul on Jan 30, 2013. South Korea launched a rocket on Jan 30 in its third bid to put a satellite in orbit - a high-stakes challenge to national pride after rival North Korea succeeded in the same mission last month. -- PHOTO: AFP/YONHAP
The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) or Naro, South Korea's space rocket is launched on the launch pad at Naro Space Centre in Goheung, about 485km south of Seoul Jan 30, 2013, in this picture take by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. -- PHOTO: REUTERS/KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) takes off from its launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 350km south of Seoul on Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AFP/YONHAP
South Koreans watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-JE
South Koreans watch a live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-J
South Koreans watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-JE
South Koreans cheer as they watch a television broadcast of the country's first rocket launch at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AP/LEE JIN-MAN
People watch a public TV reporting the country's rocket launch, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AP/LEE JIN-MAN
South Koreans watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set (not pictured) at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 0700 GMT (3pm Singapore time) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-J
South Koreans react as they watch live footage of South Korea's third attempt of a rocket launch on a television set (not pictured) at a railway station in Seoul on Jan 30, 2013, as the 140,000kg Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 0700 GMT (3pm Singapore time) from the Naro Space Center on the south coast. -- PHOTO: AFP/JUNG YEON-J
People watch a public TV reporting the country's first rocket launch at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: AP/LEE JIN-MAN
A couple watch a television report broadcasting the launch of South Korea's space rocket Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) or Naro at Naro Space Centre in Goheung, about 485km south of Seoul, at a train station in Seoul Jan 30, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS/LEE JAE-WON
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea launched a rocket on Wednesday in its third bid to put a satellite in orbit - a high-stakes challenge to national pride after rival North Korea succeeded in the same mission last month.
A positive outcome after successive failures in 2009 and 2010 is critical to ensuring the future of South Korea's launch programme and realising its ambition of full membership of the elite global space club.
The 140-tonne Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off at 4pm local times from the Naro Space Centre on the south coast.
Space centre officials said it would take nine minutes for the rocket, with a first stage manufactured by Russia and a second stage built by South Korea, to reach its target altitude and deploy the payload satellite.
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