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South Korea on Thursday confirmed the successful launch of its homegrown space rocket Nuri, which took off from Naro Space Center, with the main unit of the 13 satellites deployed establishing communication with King Sejong Station in Antarctica.The 200-ton Nuri blasted off from the center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung, South Korean news agency (Yonhap) reported.According to Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the main satellite, CAS500-3, made communication with South Korea's research center in Antarctica, allowing experts to check the unit's condition.About two minutes after liftoff, Nuri separated the first stage, followed by the second-stage four minutes and 30 seconds into the flight. After reaching the target altitude of 600 km, Nuri separated the main satellite, along with 12 cube satellites.The main satellite will be tasked with conducting space science research, including measurement of space magnetic fields and plasma along with observation of auroras.South Korea previously conducted three Nuri rocket launches in 2021, 2022, and 2023, achieving gradual advancements in its technical capabilities. The country plans a fifth launch in 2026 and a sixth in 2027 as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen its presence in the space sector.

The American space-technology company SpaceX conducted a dual-launch operation this week, dispatching two batches of Starlink Internet-satellites aboard two Falcon 9 rockets in the same launch window.In a statement, the company said the first Falcon 9 took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying 29 satellites into low Earth orbit. The first-stage booster successfully landed on a SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 8.5 minutes after liftoff.Within the same launch window, a second Falcon 9 launched a further batch of 29 satellites. Its first-stage booster also achieved a successful drone-ship landing, while the upper stage deployed the satellites on schedule.These missions advance the Starlink network, a vast satellite constellation aiming to provide global Internet coverage; currently, thousands of satellites are already in orbit. SpaceX said such launches help maintain the constellation's frequent and rapid replenishment.The company described the flights as part of a "record pace" of Falcon 9 launches this year as it scales up capacity and reduces turnaround time between missions.

South Korea has launched its fifth homegrown military reconnaissance satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from a US space base in Florida, the country's Ministry of National Defense announced Sunday. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as scheduled and successfully placed the satellite into orbit about 14 minutes after liftoff, according to the ministry.According to Yonhap News Agency, the new satellite, equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, is the fifth and final satellite under South Korea's plan to deploy five spy satellites by the end of this year. The constellation aims to enhance real-time monitoring of North Korea and reduce Seoul's reliance on US satellite imagery.Operating a cluster of five reconnaissance satellites will enable the rapid and precise detection of potential North Korean military activities, the ministry said, noting that the system will reinforce South Korea's three-axis deterrence structure — which includes preemptive strike, missile defense, and retaliatory capabilities.Once all five satellites are operational, South Korea is expected to achieve round-the-clock surveillance, with the ability to observe North Korea roughly every two hours.South Korea launched its first military spy satellite in December 2023, equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors capable of capturing high-resolution imagery. It has since launched three more SAR-equipped satellites capable of collecting data in all weather conditions and at any time of day.

China launched on Sunday the Lijian-1 Y8 carrier rocket with three satellites onboard. China's news agency (Xinhua) said that the rocket blasted off at 11:33 (Beijing Time) from a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in northwest China and successfully sent the satellites into the planned orbit. The three satellites are the Pakistan remote-sensing satellite (PRSS-2), AIRSAT 03 and 04 satellites, Xinhua added.