South Korea’s 2nd spy satellite enters orbit

South Korea successfully launched its second military spy satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in the U.S.   The Falcon 9 lifted off at 7:17 p.m. U.S. time and sent the reconnaissance satellite into orbit, approximately 45 minutes after the launch.

It made successful communication with the ground station about two hours and 40 minutes after the launch.  The satellite was equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors that capture data using microwaves and are capable of collecting data regardless of weather conditions. South Korea is to launch five spy satellites by 2025, under a contract with SpaceX.